Battle of the Millennium
by Maatkare of Egypt
Summary: After defeating Zork, Atem didn't expect the world to be in danger again so soon. While on a trip to help Tea move into her new apartment in New York, Yugi stumbles across...two magicians? Who are these newcomers and what connection do they have to the Serpent's rising?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Threat on the Horizon

A jar shattered in the training room below, but not even that managed to draw the magician from his meditation. He sat cross legged, his eyes closed, with the backs of his hands resting in his lap, in a gesture of supplication. He wore the traditional robes of his _ka_ —the Dark Magician. They were a deep purple, Trajan purple to be exact and were very costly, worth more than gold. To him the royal color symbolized his undying devotion to his king. He even kept his brown chestnut hair long down slightly past his shoulders, as a sign not of the traditional mourning rites of the Egyptians, but as a sign of his loyalty as well.

He was currently in the middle of his study on the floor, the traditional working posture of a scribe. The white walls were lined with shelves containing many papyrus scrolls and fire crackled in the copper braziers set against the walls. There was a desk at the magician's right and several scrolls were unrolled on it. Mahaad's ink well was still full as he had only been meditating for half an hour. His neat hieratic notes were compiled on a fresh scroll off to the left of the others. He inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled, stretching out his other senses, trying to sense deeper into the Duat. Eventually he determined that he had to act on the partial information he had gained, through his hours of meditation and study. He had been disturbed for weeks, but his dread only increased the more he tried to deny it. Even his ever distracted apprentice, Mana had picked up on how distracted he was during her lessons. Several minutes after the crash, Mahaad opened his eyes and stood slowly, stretching his stiff joints. His blue eyes surveyed the room, the crackling of the fire was comforting, in the oppressiveness of the ever present Shadows.

His brown chestnut locks fell past his shoulders—this was one of the rare moments that he left his hair uncovered. His helmet was rather burdensome at times, and meditation required all of his concentration. His trademark helmet sat by the door, along with his staff, which leaned against the wall. Another vase shattered. Mahaad massaged his temples. He could already felt a headache beginning to form. Being dead had its advantages, and dwelling among the _mut_ —the dead, and demons in the _Duat_ , or Underworld, enabled him to more easily keep track of the Enemy. Mahaad wasn't just worried, he was scared, truly scared for one of the first times since he had died more than three thousand years ago.

As yet another vase shattered he reached his hand out and his teal staff flew into his right hand. He brought it close to him and closed his eyes. He felt a bit more at east holding his favorite weapon. After a few more seconds passed he opened his eyes and crossed the room, unlatching the door and shutting it softly behind him. He continued down the hallway past his own chamber and down the stairs, where Mana's voice became louder.

"Ugh!" she yelled in frustration and Mahaad saw a streak of red from under the door and another pot shattered. He opened to the door to the practice room to find Mana breathing heavily, beading in sweat and glowering at the only pot remaining, her staff was still glowing from the use of her _heka_ , or magic. Like Mahaad, Mana too was dressed in the garb of her former _ka_ beast—the Dark Magician Girl. Her outfit was blue and pink, and was too revealing in Mahaad's opinion. She too wore a headpiece, although hers was more like the tan cap she had worn in life. Her now blond hair was poking out from underneath it.

The room itself was large and plain, the only objects inside at the moment were burning torches and a lone clay jar, in a sea of pottery shards.

"Mana," he said softly.

Instantly her anger was gone replaced by shame and embarrassment. Her staff returned to its normal color and she turned around to face her mentor, her aquamarine eyes downcast.

"Shouldn't you leave execration to the priests? Some might take it the wrong way, since you're obliterating every clay jar we own," he asked her, his eyes containing the slightest trace of amusement, despite his serious expression. "Weren't you supposed to be moving the vases across the room, not destroying them?" he asked. There was a slight reprimand in his tone now and she picked up on it.

She scratched the back of her head nervously, and readjusted her helmet. She tried to gauge his reaction as she stood there nervously.

"Yes, Master," she said crestfallen.

She had been trying to practice harder, since she knew something was really bothering her Master but he hadn't confided in her what it was yet. She knew better than to confront him about it though, so she waited. She hung her head and was surprised to feel Mahaad wrap his arms around her from behind in a brief hug.

"It's alright," he soothed, guessing her thoughts. "I'm not angry. You can have the rest of the day off. We'll pick try the Transportation Spell again tomorrow."

She jumped up and squealed, and started jogging in place, her staff clutched tightly in her right hand.

"Thank you Master Mahaad!"

She tore from the room in much brighter spirits to seek out one of her best friends the blue skinned Mystical Elf. Mahaad watched her go and then eyed the many pottery shards strewn about the room, the dust from the obliterated pots still lingered in the air, which now smelled like wine, as the jars Mana had destroyed used to contain wine. A few days ago, Mahaad had granted his consent that she could practice moving them across the room, in preparation for the upcoming festival.

His staff glowed and the shards vanished. Satisfied he left the room, and made his own staff disappear. He was relieved that he had canceled lessons with Mana that afternoon because he needed to discuss matters of great importance with Karim. He was one of the only other priests in this region of the _Duat_. The former bearer of the Millennium Scales had been the second of the Nameless Pharaoh's priests to sacrifice himself and in the process of prematurely forming his _akh_ or bright one, became known as the Celtic Guardian. He had been unprepared like Mahaad was for Lord Osiris' judgment; and that had landed them in this particular region of the _Duat_ one better known as the Shadow Realm. It was inhabited by _ka_ beasts and demons alike.

Mahaad turned and walked to his front door and left the warmth of his home and went out into the Shadow Realm itself. There was a natural chill in the air, Mahaad had no doubt that at least part of this was that the Bark of Millions of Years which bore the Sun god Ra, hadn't been seen in this particular region of the Duat for millennia. Mahaad had become long used to the oppressive cold here.

Mahaad's house like other buildings that surrounded them, was a replica from his memoires of Egypt. It was a two story noble manor like the one that he had grown up in before he went to the palace for his training to become a priest and powerful magician. The manor was white and despite the chill in the air, the roof still had sleeping mats on top, in case it got too hot inside to sleep. The bottom floor had a large portion of it dedicated to practicing the magical arts with Mana, instead of the usual livestock. It also housed a kitchen.

He made a mental note to remember to ask the Pharaoh to thank the Ishtars for performing his funerary cult so faithfully for the last three thousand years. The food obtained from the daily offerings was kept in a storage room on the first floor. The second floor contained the sleeping quarters and Mahaad's study.

He shut the door behind him and descended the stone steps and made the short trip into the heart of his Masters' Deck nation. There were many Egyptian style buildings around, including an open air market. _Ka_ beasts mingled among the stalls looking and hawking for wares as it was still only the third hour of the day, or as Master Yugi would say 9 am. Mahaad turned to look at the replica of the Temple of Karnak they had constructed. They had modeled it after later Pharaohs had expanded it and it was by far the most central feature of their nation, which they had affectionately named Kemet or the Black Land. Mahaad knew that by this hour Karim would have finished the daily rituals attending to Lord Amun's needs, and could be found at home. Mahaad nodded in greeting to the _ka_ and those he passed on his journey. To his relief he only encountered one demon on his way—Blood Eater. The demons sometimes had relatives, minor gods who served in the tribunal and needed to be treated with respect.

Mahaad arrived at the quarter of town where the Pharaoh's warriors lived. He called to Duos who waved, as he headed into town, presumably to pick something from the market. Duos along with the other _ka_ beasts that had served the Nameless Pharaoh in life but hadn't been reincarnated to the modern game of Duel Monsters, had found refuge in Kemet.

Mahaad climbed Karim's steps to a traditional looking noble manor from New Kingdom Egypt. He crossed the threshold and walked along the path with the garden courtyard at his right. It was cooler in the garden, that it had been outside and Mahaad hoped someone would answer soon. Even though he had grown up in Egypt thousands of years ago, he still preferred the warmth of Egypt. He also still chose to wear linen, which allowed the cold to easily seep through. He knocked on the wood door and waited. He heard the familiar slap of sandals on marble floor, and the door soon opened to reveal a bald Egyptian man dressed in a kilt.

"How may I help you Master Mahaad?" the man questioned.

Mahaad smiled to himself. In order to make the Shadow Realm less depressing several centuries ago Mahaad had decided to activate several _shabti_ or answerers, to make their nation feel more like their Egyptian homeland. The idea had taken off and soon they had hundreds of them running around. Karim had modeled this particular one off his old butler.

"Can you tell me where I might find Karim?" Mahaad asked.

"Yes, he is back in the armory, sir. Will you come inside? I will go get him for you." The butler stood aside allowing the taller Egyptian to enter, which he did.

"Have a seat." The butler swept his arm indicating several couches.

"Thank you Weni," the magician replied, taking a seat on the couch nearest to the entrance to wait.

Weni left the room to go get Karim. He returned several minutes later with the infamous Celtic Guardian in tow. Mahaad rose to greet his old friend and fellow priest. They had been friends before their deaths but that bond had only been stretched in the intervening years. Karim had already changed out of the robes of the priesthood and back into his familiar green and brown armor. His sword was sheathed at his left hip, and wore a blue cape and a brown helmet over his now blond hair, his ears poking out to the sides of his helmet.

They clasped hands. "Greetings Karim."

"Greetings to you as well, Mahaad," he smiled warmly. "Won't you have a drink?" 

"Yes, thank you."

Karim turned to Weni, "Get us some wine,"

Weni bowed and bowed, backing out of the room. Karim shifted his attention back to his friend. Wordlessly they both sat down. Karim sat on the couch opposite Mahaad and leaned forward, waiting patiently for his fellow priest to speak what was on his mind. Karim knew that Mahaad's failure to wear his helmet was a sign that he had been mediating more. His body was tense and he looked tired and worried.

The magician leaned forward, matching the elf's posture. "Karim, I know you feel it too."

Karim slowly nodded. So this was the matter which Mahaad wanted to discuss. Karim didn't interrupt but let continue. "The Enemy is getting stronger. While it is true that he has been breaking free from his prison slowly for the last several thousand years his progress has sped up exponentially in the past few months."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Weni bearing a tray with a flask of wine and two gold cups. The butler set them on the table.

"That will be all Weni thank you."

The man bowed and left the room, shutting the door behind him. "I know Mahaad and I am worried too. There are hardly any priests left!" his voice rose at the end. He busied himself with the flask and poured a cup of wine first for his guest and then for himself. Mahaad nodded gratefully and accepted the cup offered to him. Karim looked worried too.

"In the Duat we are the only ones. We can't stop him by ourselves." Mahaad looked devastated and lost more so than the elven warrior had remembered seeing him for a long time. He hadn't looked this lost since Raphael had taken Yugi instead of the Pharaoh in the fateful Orichalcos duel. Mahaad sipped his wine.

"We have several priests in the clan of Tomb Keepers," Karim reminded the magician. Mahaad just shook his head. "It is not enough, and even if it were, we are still duty bound to alert the Pharaoh about this."

Karim involuntarily grimaced. There was no doubt that the Pharaoh would take the news hard. The unspoken question remained between the two men, how were they going to break the news to their king? They both knew that it would go over a lot better if it came from them and he didn't find out they had knowledge of it after the fact. Both men sipped their wine, each lost in their own thoughts. Karim held his cup with both hands and looked squarely at Mahaad.

"You're going to be the one to tell Pharaoh the news. You know that, right?"

Mahaad met his challenging, yet friendly gaze. "Yes, I know that. but…" he trailed off, lowering his eyes to the goblet in his hands.

"-But you wanted my support before you left? You wanted the company of someone who understands the gravity of the situation?" These questions made Mahaad give a rare smile to his friend. He nodded, preoccupied with the red liquid sloshing in his goblet.

"Relax." Karim set his cup on the table and put his now free hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're Pharaoh's favorite. He really cares for you."

"Thank you."

Mahaad rose to his feet and Karim rose with him, removing his hand, and let it fall to his side.

Mahaad took one last swig of wine, savoring the sweetness before he too, set the cup down and clasped Karim's hand again in parting. "Good luck to you Mahaad. May Horus protect you," Karim intoned.

Mahaad nodded his thanks and walked out the door. He noted how ironic it was that those were the exact same words the Pharaoh had spoken to him before he died. That didn't really do much to relax his nerves. The wine, while refreshing, didn't calm his nerves or his headache, as much as he hoped. His stomach was knotted with unease. He walked the rest of the way home in a daze and entered the sanctuary of his study one again. He retrieved his helmet from the floor and put it on. He closed his eyes and the muscles in his face slackened. He spoke the words of the spell and vanished. The Pharaoh and his light had started to duel more and it had taken a toll on everyone in their Deck, but as Mahaad the Dark Magician, his Pharaoh's trump card, he took the majority of the strain.

The Dark Magician opened his eyes and found himself in the stone corridor of the Millennium Puzzle, between Yugi and the Pharaoh's soul rooms. Yugi's door was ajar and he noticed various games spread across on the floor, including a half finished puzzle. As Yugi wasn't in his soul room, Mahaad assumed he was currently in control of the body that he shared with the Pharaoh. This meant that Pharaoh was in the other darker and more forbidding room opposite Yugi's innocent one. The Pharaoh's door was old and worn, the Eye of Horus was engraved in gold in the door's center. Mahaad knew that Pharaoh could detect intruders and didn't take those who trespassed on his soul lightly. Mahaad recalled his first encounter with Yugi and Shadi.

Pushing these thoughts aside he walked cautiously up to the door and knocked softly three times. "Enter." The confident baritone, voice sent chills through the magician as he hadn't heard his Master's voice directed at him, except on the dueling field, in a very long time. He obeyed opening the door and entering the room. Since the Pharaoh had gained his memoires he now had a bed in the center of the room., while familiar Egyptian scenes lined the walls. Torches mounted in brackets cast the room in shadows. A khopesh rested on a stand ready at a moment's notice. The current occupant was wearing the matching blue pants and jacket of the Domino high school uniform, and was lying on his bed his fingers interlaced behind his head, propped up by several pillows. The bed groaned in protest as he stood to greet his visitor. Mahaad instinctively sank to the floor in a low bow, before his king.

"My Pharaoh."


	2. Chapter 2

Battle of the Millennium

Chapter 2: Mahaad's Reward

The man Mahaad died to protect stood several feet away and he crossed the short distance between them and spoke, "Mahaad."

His king raised him to a standing position. The Pharaoh's next movement shocked Mahaad. He wrapped his arms tightly around the elder man, Mahaad stood there unsure of how to react, his arms pinned to his sides. He had imagined this moment often in the last three millennia, but hadn't pictured it like this often. "I've missed you," the Pharaoh whispered. Mahaad closed his eyes, savoring the rare show of fraternal intimacy. "I have missed you too, my Pharaoh," he said softly. Yami released him and stepped backwards, giving the priest his space.

"Thank you," the Pharaoh's voice was sincere and gentle. "You sacrificed yourself for me and I forgot you…" the king's voice broke and the end and he trailed off. "I forgot you for three thousand years," he continued bitterly.

"No, my Pharaoh, please don't think that way. It was the only way for the seal to work, you had to forget everything, especially your name. You know how powerful names can be. It was Lord Ra's name that Isis used to force him to retreat to the heavens," Mahaad reminded him.

"And yet, no other servant has done for me, what you have. I shall see you that you are properly rewarded." Mahaad flushed with the thought of reward. "I have all the reward I need in your service, my king." Mahaad said quickly. Yami's eyes sparkled with challenge, "You would reject a gift from your Pharaoh?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mahaad knew that when the Prince had become Pharaoh, he had enjoyed teasing Mahaad and making his friend squirm sometimes. Mahaad was too serious and he had been left to his own devices for far too long.

"N-n-no, my king. I would never dream of insulting you-," Mahaad started. Yami relented, "Very well, but think about it."

"My Pharaoh is much too kind."

"Don't try and flatter me Mahaad. It won't get you out of this." Yami warned him.

Mahaad ducked his head in acknowledgment and embarrassment. He had failed his king and had tried to make it up to him by sacrificing his life and living in the _Duat_ instead of the Fields of Reeds. The Pharaoh picked up on Mahaad's shift in temperament to a more serious and somber one.

"Is something wrong, my friend?" he inquired. Mahaad hesitated before answering. "Yes, my Pharaoh." Mahaad raised his head and continued, "The Enemy, he who seeks to swallow the sun, is breaking out of his prison in the _Duat_."

"WHAT?!" Yami bellowed.

Yami knew how bad the situation had just become. He also knew Mahaad would never jest about something so serious. He took several steps back, his eyes wide with horror.

It took a few moments for him to process the full implications of Mahaad's statement. This meant the world was in danger—again. He had saved the world several times, but this was truly worrisome.

Yugi who had been preoccupied with his math test, started at the intense emotion emanating from the Spirit of the Puzzle. /Yami, are you alright?/

/No, Yugi. I'll tell you about when we get home. You need to focus on your test./ To the Pharaoh's relief his host withdrew. He then turned his attention back to the magician.

"When did this happen?" he demanded, harshly. Mahaad hurried on, anxious to quell his Pharaoh's anger.

"The Enemy has been slowly breaking out of his prison since the fall of Egypt to the Romans, as there were fewer and fewer priests to combat him. However, as of late he has begun escaping faster and Karim and I are not entirely sure why." The Pharaoh rubbed his temples feeling a headache already beginning to form. Mahaad eyed him with concern.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention." The Pharaoh's eyes glazed over and he zoned out for a second and then informed the magician that Yugi only had two more problems, and he would be done with school for the remainder of the day. "Mahaad, we need to act quickly or the world will be consumed by _isfet_ —chaos, and the Enemy will destroy Ra and rule the world. Return to the Shadow Realm and keep an eye on the situation. I'll call for you again as soon as Yugi gets home." Mahaad inclined his head and was gone in a swirl of purple mist.

Mahaad reappeared in his study and wrenched open the door. He ran down the stairs and wrote a quick note to Mana on an ostracon—a scrap of pottery, as papyrus was too expensive for a simple note. He explained the situation and left it on the kitchen table for her to find. This done he went to Karim's house.

Weni answered, but Karim had been expecting his return. He dismissed his butler with a wave of his hand. He had cleaned himself up a bit since they last spoke. He had been seated on the coach sharpening his sword which now lay on the coffee table, alongside a jar of polish, a rag and a whetstone. He grasped arms with his friend and waited for the magician to speak. "He took it about as well as we thought he was going to," Karim grunted he hadn't expected anything better. After Mahaad had relayed his conversation with their king, Karim looked more troubled. He grabbed his cloak and fastened it on, and sheathed his sword. "I'll spread the word here. You need to go prepare for the Master's summons." Together they left the manor and parted at the path that led into town. Karim followed the path, while Mahaad returned to his house.

The magician had enough time to grab his satchel and fill it with a scrying bowl and a small jar of olive oil. Using a scrying bowl and oil, he would be able to keep in contact with the other spellcasters of their Nation as well as Karim. After he had stored his supplies in a small pocket dimension, like Mana did with her spell book, he felt the familiar tug in the pit of his stomach of his signature summon. He reacted at once and reappeared in the Millennium Puzzle, this time in the Pharaoh's soul room.

He bowed quickly but the spiky haired teen dismissed it with an impatient flick of his wrist. Yugi stood slightly behind the Pharaoh, looking worried. While he was shorter than the Pharaoh, he mirrored the spirit's somber expression. He too was dressed in the blue Domino high uniform. Mahaad didn't blame him; the world was in danger yet again. Mahaad straightened and waited for one of them to speak. "Yugi and I have been talking, Mahaad. I brought him up to speed on the current events."

Yugi had often dreamed about meeting his hero the Dark Magician. He had looked up to the magician and knew that Yami had an inexplicably strong bond with him. It wasn't until after the Pharaoh regained his memoires that either of them understood why. Yugi respected Mahaad even more because of what he had sacrificed for his friend and king. Yugi had a playful look in his eye which defined the gravity of the situation. Leave it to Yugi to have a optimistic attitude when he world was about to end.

"Yugi allow me to officially introduce my servant Mahaad, the Dark Magician." Mahaad knelt before Yugi, but not as low as he had before the Pharaoh. Yugi blushed, deeply, embarrassed. "My Prince!' Mahaad said fervently. Yugi turned to look at Yami with bewilderment. /What do I do now?/ he panicked. Yami laughed softly through their mind link. /Say his name and stand him up. For him to say anything else without first asking permission would be a grave breech of protocol indeed./ Yami informed his light. Yugi followed the Sprit's instructions.

"Mahaad?" Yugi asked, after raising the spellcaster.

"Yes, my Prince?"

"What do you want most?" The sincerity of the question startled Mahaad. Mahaad looked at the Prince's eyes, sincerely contemplating the question.

"I wish to continue in my service as your eternal servant," he replied firmly. He saw Yami's quizzical expression and swallowed nervously. Yami narrowed his eyes in suspicion; he knew Mahaad was being evasive.

Yugi grinned, having an idea.

Would like to stay with us?" Yugi asked, breaking the tension between master and servant.

Mahaad's eyebrows knit together in innocent confusion. Mahaad's heart started racing, was Master Yugi suggesting that he was going to give Mahaad's card the Dark Magician to someone else? Mahaad knew that couldn't be it. With Master Yugi gazing at him expectantly, he knew he needed to ask for clarification. "My Prince? I don't understand." Yugi smiled warmly at him. To his dismay, Yugi repeated the question. "Do you want to stay here with us?"

Mahaad now knew that Master Yugi was playing a game with him. Mahaad tried another guess. "In the Puzzle?" he ventured, not daring to hope he might be at least temporarily freed from the oppressiveness of the _Duat_.

His heart started pounding in his chest as he waited for the response. "No, we talked it over and we want you to live with us, in the mortal world." The magician's expression changed to one of complete shock. That was the last thing he had been expecting. He recovered enough from his shock to remember his place before his superiors, and he slowly and deliberately sank to his knees. Yami raised an eyebrow, when Mahaad took his devotion a step further. He bowed his head to the floor so low his forehead touched the cold stone floor. His hands were extended, palms down in a gesture of worship and praise. "I bow myself before the king, my lord, seven times, seven times."

Mahaad was context to lay there basking in his pharaoh's mercy and glory. The Pharaoh however had other plans; he didn't want to wait and see if Mahaad was really going to do all forty-nine prostrations. Yugi turned as red as a tomato as he wasn't to people bowing to him at all, much less prostrating themselves. Mahaad heard Yami's boots click sharply on the stone floor, growing louder as he neared the prostrate magician. He was startled to feel his pharaoh grasp his hand and gently raise him into a standing position.

"We're going to Egypt, now." Yami informed both of them, having made up his mind. "My Pharaoh?" Mahaad sputtered, he was growing more overwhelmed by the minute.

The Pharaoh then raised his hand and opened a portal to the Shadow Realm. They stepped inside and soon arrived in Egypt. Mahaad's head was still spinning, but he knew better than to ask questions when his king had a determined glint in his eyes. The Pharaoh blinked, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight since he had been in the Puzzle while Yugi had been at school. Here it was 8 o'clock in the morning whereas back in Japan it had been 3 in the afternoon. Japan was seven hours ahead of Egypt.

They were currently on the West bank of the Nile, with the rising sun to their backs. Mahaad thought this was odd but he didn't breach the subject, instead he brushed the sand off his deep purple robes his blue eyes scanned the surface of the Nile as he noted the blue-green water flowing north where it emptied into the _Wadj-wer_ or Great Green, more commonly known to the Romans as the Mediterranean. The Valley of the Nobles lay nestled in between the cliffs in front of them. Mahaad was confused as to why they had come. He didn't ask any questions and mutely followed his king who seemed to have a specific objective in mind. The shorter man led the way into the Valley itself and his eyes scanned the rocks above the tombs, searching for familiar landmarks. He was aided in his quest by some of the green bilingual signs that indentified the tombs. They were written in Arabic and English and Mahaad couldn't read either.

Luckily these tombs weren't nearly as famous as the ones in the Valley of the Kings so there weren't nearly as many tourists with prying eyes. Eventually, Yami found what he was looking for. The Hikari while not fully merged with the Pharaoh was very aware of what was going on outside. The spiky haired teen stopped in front of an outcropping of rock, without a sign and raised his hand and spoke in a confident tone, " _W'peh!_ " Open! The ground shook beneath them and a hidden entrance to one of the tombs opened. Behind him Mahaad couldn't stop the gasp that burst from his lips.

This was _his_ tomb!

The Pharaoh descended a few steps into the darkness and turned to see the silhouette of Mahaad rooted to the ground at the entrance. "Well?" he asked. This snapped the magician out of his stupor and he followed his king down the steps to the bottom, where they were met with a huge smooth stone that blocked the entrance. The stone face was bare except for two seals, Mahaad's personal seal made with his signet ring and his pharaoh's too. The hieroglyphs themselves had faded with age.

Mahaad was still in a daze and reached out and tentatively touched his seal, and eyed the pharaoh's seal in awe. This was one of the few times he had ever seen the Pharaoh use his seal, and to seal Mahaad's own tomb! He doubted many servants had ever had such an honor. He eyed the cartouche-protected seal with reverential awe. The Pharaoh studied the seals for a moment before he spoke again.

" _W'peh_!" The pharaoh commanded in his usual confident tone. The seals broke and crumbled to dust. The stone guarding the doorway turned a bronze color and then vanished completely. Torches on either side of the newly opened hallway in front of them flared to life. Already they could see some of the tomb relief that lined the walls. They passed the glyphs detailing the curses to befall whoever entered the tomb unworthily, and wanted to inflict harm upon the deceased within. Yugi phased out of the Puzzle and examined one of the curses that talked about ringing the intruder's neck like a goose. He shivered. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, braziers lit up the main room. There were two antechambers one to the right and the other to left, with Mahaad's burial chamber directly in front of them. Typical Egyptian funerary scenes lined the walls.

Both men recognized they were now in a state of ritual. Things could take place outside of normal time and space. It was a time for a transition of state. While Mahaad had been bewildered upon their arrival, he collected his wits. He knew now, what the Pharaoh was going to do.

His king was going to resurrect him.

Mahaad inclined his head in deference to his king's authority. The torchlight cast eerie shadows across both their faces. The Pharaoh's eyes sparkled with anticipation, that Mahaad hoped was matched in his own expression. The pharaoh mutely gestured to a water basin with his right hand, which was now full of clear water. Mahaad tentatively walked over to it and submerged his hands in the basin and was surprised that the water was freezing. Nevertheless, he washed his hands and dried them on a linen towel. Pharaoh spoke the command word yet again and the doors to both antechambers and the burial chamber itself, opened.

Yugi phased out of the Puzzle to observe the ritual. The Pharaoh started things off by removing his jacket as Yugi had just come from school. He held it out and it vanished. This didn't faze Mahaad at all. The vanishing spell was one even Mana could do right every time. He merely observed as his king changed his Japanese school uniform for his old robes of Pharaonic authority. When his king was finished, Mahaad removed his helmet and leaned his staff against the wall. His Trajan purple robes of the Dark Magician were replaced by a simple white tunic belted in the middle with a brown sash. The tunic extended from his shoulders to his knees. His brown hair brushed his shoulders, his eyes now outlined with kohl. The only jewelry he wore was two gold armbands on his forearms, symbols of his noble status. While Pharaoh wore wooden sandals overlaid with gold, Mahaad wore less decretive ones. As a final touch Pharaoh had even elected to wear his cape for the occasion, along with the double red and white crown of unified Egypt.

Mahaad turned and entered the antechamber on the right. It contained mainly food items. Baskets of bread, jars of wine, honey and olive oil lined the walls. A small sarcophagus was in the center of the room, which he recognized as his favorite hunting hawk. Other large jars containing leeks, cucumbers, onions, poultry, pomegranates and dates cluttered the room. Mahaad entered the other antechamber. Instead of food it contained everything else he might need for the afterlife. Changes of clothing were marked in chests, both his robes of office and other less formal tunics. Other chests contained jewelry, sandals, kohl and other oils. In one corner a chariot leaned against the wall, an ivory senet board not too far away. Next to the chariot was a box of small blue _shabti_ figurines. Several daggers, a _khopesh_ , and various staves were against the far wall as were other marks of his office. He opened one chest along the left wall and removed a small bag tied with a string and exited the room.

When he returned to the main chamber, the Pharaoh was patiently waiting, holding a censure. Mahaad felt the heat rise in his face, as he was embarrassed that the Pharaoh was doing things, his father should have been doing on his behalf. The Pharaoh smiled reassuringly at him. Mahaad took this as his invitation to proceed. He carefully opened the bag and poured some of the precious _Kapet_ incense into cup of the censure. Mahaad knew that this type of incense was the most prized in all of Egypt and was the kind of incense his king and the gods used in the afterlife. Mahaad lit the censure with his magic and pharaoh set it down to rest on a chest next to the basin Mahaad had used earlier. The sweet aroma began to fill the tomb. Mahaad closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The smell brought memories of his life serving Lord Amun at Karnak to his mind. Meanwhile Pharaoh approached the burial chamber and laid his hand on the lid of the sarcophagus.

He spoke another command word and the lid vanished.

"Mahaad."

The priest opened his eyes and turned, the pharaoh beckoned him with his index finger. Pharaoh indicated that Mahaad should retrieve the scroll from within the sarcophagus. Mahaad tried not to think about how strange it was that his body was close enough to touch. Mahaad grabbed the scroll careful that he didn't disturb any of the amulets he had been embalmed with. Mahaad inclined his head and extended the scroll to his king. The Pharaoh carefully broke the wax seal and found the correct spell he needed. Pharaoh read several spells until he had covered the proper spells found in _Going Forth by Day_ more commonly known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Mahaad felt warmth spread throughout his whole body and there was also a faint glow around him that dimmed as soon as the spells ended.

In one final ritual, the Opening of the Mouth, Yami took the sacred _netjeri_ blade and touched Mahaad's mouth, ears, nose and eyes to allow them to be used again in the mortal world. At the end of this Mahaad's senses were sharper and he was beaded with sweat. He leaned heavily against the wall, trying to keep the dizziness from overwhelming him. His breathing was also labored and heavy. "Are you alright?" Yugi asked, breaking his silence.

Yugi stepped closer to Mahaad with a concerned expression on his face. "Yes, my Prince." Mahaad then gathered his wits and tried to stand erect, detaching himself from the wall. It didn't work very well and a bout of vertigo overcame him and he collapsed against the wall yet again. Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "You lied," Pharaoh said coolly. Mahaad hung his head. He slid down the wall and sat there gathering his strength. He was mildly surprised when the Pharaoh sat down beside him. "We'll wait until you _actually_ feel well enough to travel." The Pharaoh reprimanded. Mahaad didn't reply, but accepted the criticism. Even though the Pharaoh was doing him a great service, Pharaoh was still the incarnate of Horus and as such, could severely punish Mahaad.

/Yami?/ Yugi broke through the spirit's thoughts. The spirit turned to face his shorter partner.

/We need to hurry, Grandpa doesn't know where we are./ His voice was even but Yami picked up on the worry, coming from his lighter half.

/I know Yugi. But Mahaad is weak. If we move him too quickly he could pass out. He needs food./ Yugi knew they didn't have any with them. He looked at the antechamber to the right with its ancient food mocking them. His eyes suddenly lit up, he had an idea.

/Yami, what about the false door?/

/It was used so that the deceased's relatives could place food offerings./ Yami answered and continued staring ahead.

/What about-/ Yami's eyes widened too in understanding.

/-the offering stela?/ Yami finished. /That should work, _Aibou_./

"I'll be right back," the Pharaoh told Mahaad.

"Pharaoh?" Mahaad asked. Pharaoh ignored his query and left the chamber. The magician just buried his head in his hands, and soon heard the all too familiar sound of sandals, slapping stone as he descended the stone steps. Mahaad raised his head and saw the man carrying a stone stela roughly two cubits high (about 3 feet). Mahaad made a move as if to get up. Pharaoh shot him a warning look, "Stay there," he instructed. His king set the offering stela down and began scanning the top section looking past Mahaad's titles until he found the _htp di nsw_ , or "the offering which the king gives," which started the offering formula. He found it and began to read, his rich baritone voice reverberating off the walls:

" _Hesbet zep 1 mej hem Hor netcher nefer Atem ankh jet redinek hem ab pen hetep di nsw Wsir netcher redi neb Abjw dif peret herw et henqet kaw apdw ses menhet het neb neferet wabet anch netch im en ka en bak Mahaad mes Waset._ "

"Year 1 under the majesty of Horus the good god Atem ever living. My majesty gives you this stela as an offering that the kings gives to Osiris, the great god lord of Abydos that he may give an invocation offering, bread, beef, oxen, fowl, alabaster and clothing, all things good and pure on which a good lives, to the _ka_ of the honored servant Mahaad born of Waset."

Mahaad watched as the stela glowed and the items listed as part of the invocation offering appeared. Pharaoh smirked in satisfaction and walked over to the fresh food. He picked up a basket of bread and a jug of beer and sat beside the priest who was giving him a quizzical look.

He broke the loaf of bread into smaller pieces and handed some of them to Mahaad who took them gratefully. The magician nibbled one of them seeing if he could handle it, before eating more to his immense relief. He tore off a larger chunk and chewed it. The bread tasted just like it had back at the palace, warm and fresh with a bit of honey to make it sweet. Mahaad wasn't sure if it was the fresh food or the spells, but at least his stomach had settled and his headache was gone. He smiled. Meanwhile Yami had eaten the other half of one of the loaves. Pharaoh then took the jug of beer and poured a cup for himself and then one for his servant.

He pressed the cup into the priest's hands, and Mahaad took a small sip. Yami noted that he looked less pale and some color had returned to his face. The priest took another sip. Yami pressed his own cup to his lips before Yugi cried, /Yami! We can't drink Grandpa-/ Yami's eyes shifted to his lighter half.

/Yugi it's only two percent alcohol. Children drank beer all the time. It is more of liquid bread than anything else./

Yugi made no further protests as Yami drained the cup. Mahaad drank a little bit more and eventually he too set down his cup. He felt a bit stronger and less dizzy. "We need to get back, my friend." Yami said as he patted Mahaad's forearm, before getting to his feet. His clothing shimmered for a moment and he reappeared wearing his blue school uniform.

The Pharaoh extended his hand to Mahaad who grasped it and he helped the elder man up. Mahaad closed his eyes and Yami began chanting. Mahaad focused on the words and used Pharaoh's magic to guide him. In a matter of minutes, they opened a portal to Yugi's bedroom and stepped through. The sun had now set and it was dark, the moonlight filtering in through the skylight above.

Yami noted the moon's position and calculated that the ritual had taken nearly _four hours_!

A bout of vertigo seized the magician and he swayed dangerously on his feet before nearly collapsing. Yami caught him just before he fell, and gently lowered him to the ground. "You need to sleep." He dashed to the closet and grabbed some extra blankets and assisted Mahaad onto the couch.

He covered the priest with a blanket. Yami called upon his Shadow magic and reached into the _Duat_. He pulled out an ivory headrest which he gave Mahaad who nodded gratefully, too tired to say anything. Mahaad passed out quickly, within a minute or two. It gave Yugi enough time to come up with an excuse that might hold water against his Grandpa's fury. Yugi had taken over as soon as the priest fell asleep. He left his room quietly and had to keep himself from running down the stairs. He peeked around the corner and didn't see anyone. /Maybe we weren't missed Yami./ His spirits rose. He checked the counter and noticed that it was closed. Grandpa rarely closed the shop early.

"Grandpa?" he called nervously. He approached the closed kitchen door and his heart sank, there were not only voices coming from within but there was light spilling in the dark hallway from under the door. He took a breath and turned the handle, stepping into the room.

Author's Notes:

This story takes place after Yami regains his memoires and just before the events of Serpent's Shadow.

/…/ Yugi to Yami

/.../ Yami to Yugi

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Explanations

"Yugi!" Several voices chorused together and he was engulfed by several people hugging him tightly. Tea and Joey released him and Tristan and Grandpa rose from the chairs surrounding the table, they had been sitting on. They all looked relieved to see him, but Yugi sensed the lingering worry that hung in the air. It struck Yugi as odd that his three friends were still in their blue school uniforms. Grandpa was wearing his usual green overalls, orange bandana and white shirt. "Yugi, we were so worried about you!" Tea cried. A wave of guilt hit the shorter teen and he shuffled his feet nervously. "Where were you?" There was no mistaking the edge behind his Grandfather's voice. The pad of paper and telephone lay on the kitchen table all but forgotten.

Yugi swallowed nervously, before replying. "I went out."

"You were out?! We've been looking for you for the last three hours! Joey said you seemed quite preoccupied after you finished your midterm. I called all of your friends and they said they hadn't seen you since school. They were nice enough to come and help me look for you! I even called Kaiba to ask if he'd seen you!" His Grandpa snapped sharply. Yugi was a bit surprised by the last piece of information. Seto Kaiba and Grandpa didn't get along very well because Kaiba tore his Grandfather's prized Blue-Eyes White Dragon in half.

"Yami had something he had to do," Yugi stated. He decided to tell them everything. There was no point in hiding the truth, and even if he had, it would be difficult to explain the strange man sleeping on the couch in his bedroom. Yugi also had the fleeting thought that all the noise might wake Mahaad. "Like what? You could have been kidnapped by Rare Hunters or any number of psychos!" Joey demanded, his eyes still filled with concern. Yugi didn't bother to point out that Marik had disbanded the Rare Hunters after Battle City.

Yami's voice broke through his light's thoughts. /Yugi, let me handle this, It is my fault, after all./

/How is it your fault?/ Yugi countered. Yugi could see the Spirit shaking his head quickly in his mind's eye. /It was my fault because I didn't know how long the rituals were going to take. It's not as if the _Going Forth by Day_ warns the deceased how long resurrection is going to take. The Egyptians had more important things to worry about. / Yami quipped, lightening the mood.

/Alright./

Yugi closed his eyes and when he opened them, Yami's crimson eyes swept the room. "I'll tell you what we were doing, but all of you are going to want to sit down," the Spirit stated. He voice was heavy and serious. Grandpa and Tristan sat down, with Joey and Tea following suit. "Yugi and I went on an emergency trip to Egypt. I had a visit from Mahaad, the Dark Magician, while Yugi was taking his midterm. He informed me about an ancient evil, far older than the pyramids is breaking free from his prison in the Underworld. He is known as the Serpent, he who seeks to swallow the sun." Everyone looked surprised, but not overwhelmed.

"So the world is in danger again?" Tea asked, searching his face for confirmation. He nodded sharply. He was still deeply troubled by the fact. "The main reason we traveled to Egypt was to bring Mahaad here—"

"—what do you mean? Can't you just summon him?" Tristan interrupted. "Yes, but I want him at my side and that required a trip to Egypt. I entered his tomb and reunited his _akh_ with his body. Don't make too much noise, he's upstairs sleeping."

"What?!" Joey cried and jumped up and scrambling away from the table. "You mean some three thousand year old dead guy is asleep in your bed, Yug?!"

Yami smiled, in spite of himself, at his friend's rashness. "No, he's not in my bed. He's on the couch, and he needs sleep. Part of the reason we took so long is because he depleted a lot more _heka_ than I anticipated. We had to wait until he was strong enough to travel."

"What is _heka_?" Tea asked. Yami forgot how much they still didn't know about his past. When he had suddenly regained his memories, a lot of things had come with them including language. "Heka is the goddess of magic. She is so synonymous with magic that she, magic and magician are the same word."

With that settled the rest of the gang left for the night. "I'm going to bed Grandpa," Yugi said stifling a yawn. Solomon picked up the pad of paper and the phone. "Alright, good night Yugi." The teen stretched as he walked up the stairs to his room. He opened the door quietly and slipped inside. He glanced at Mahaad and noted the slow rise and fall of the magician's chest. He was still asleep. It hit the Pharaoh hard, that the reason Yugi was so good at being stealthy was because of all the years he spent running from bullies. He quietly moved about the room and changed into his Dark Magician pajamas, aided by the moonlight streaming in through the skylight. The pajamas had been a gift from Tea the year before since the Dark Magician was his favorite Duel Monster.

The next morning Yugi got up and dressed. He stood in front of the full length mirror to make sure his uniform was on straight. When he was satisfied he put on his usual accessories, including his Deck holster.

He shut his closet door and headed downstairs. The kitchen door was ajar. Grandpa sat at the table drinking his morning cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. He looked up as his grandson entered the room. "Good Morning Yugi," he paused before continuing."Is Mahaad up yet?" The teen shook his head, his blond bangs swinging from side to side. Grandpa was taking the latest development well. Yugi was stabbed with a unexpected pang of guilt, his Grandpa had been involved and gotten hurt in the gang's many adventures. "No, he's not up yet. But I am going to wake him up before I leave for school." Grandpa just nodded and sipped his coffee.

Yugi grabbed a box of rice from the pantry and set it on the counter. He filled the rice cooker with water and turned it on. This done he went to wake Mahaad. The magician still looked wiped out and the teen hated to disturb him. Yugi considered letting him sleep for a bit longer, but then decided against it. He didn't want Mahaad doing anything rash when he woke up. Yami phased out of the Puzzle to get a better look at his friend. Yugi gently shook the priest's shoulder.

"Mahaad, it's time to get up." Slowly Mahaad stirred before opening his eyes, blinking in the sunlight. He sat up, and a look of confusion passed over his features before the events of the last day hit him. His expression changed to one of shame. "Forgive me, my Prince. I overslept." he lowered his head. Yami stepped in to remedy the situation. "That's nonsense," he said. folding his arms. "You drained a lot of _heka_ yesterday. You needed your rest." Mahaad relaxed visibly at this.

Mahaad's stomach rumbled and he felt the heat rise in his face. He opened his mouth to apologize but Yami's laughter cut him off. "Come on, get up. Let's get some breakfast," Yugi said smiling, and shooting his darker half a mock glare. Mahaad obeyed and stood up. He neatly folded the blanket and set it with the headrest on the couch, before following Yugi to the kitchen. "Good Morning Mahaad. Yugi, I put the rice in already." Yugi gave his thanks, and went over to inspect it. "Good Morning Master Solomon," Mahaad said inclining his head to the elder man. The priest hovered anxiously by Yugi until Grandpa invited him to sit down. The rice cooker beeped and Yugi opened it, as checked his watch, dividing the rice between three bowls. /We have ten minutes./ /It could be worse./ He set one of the bowls in front of Mahaad another for Grandpa and finally kept one for himself.

Mahaad looked at the chopsticks Yugi handed him, strangely. He observed Yugi and Grandpa using them for awhile before attempting to use them himself. He kind of got the hang of it after a few attempts and could at least eat.

"Mahaad. I want you to stay here while I am at school. Make yourself at home and I'm sure Grandpa will enjoy the company."

"Yes my Prince."

Yugi opened his mouth to reply but he glanced at the clock on the microwave and changed his mind. He bid them goodbye, grabbed his backpack from his room and raced off to meet his friends. Mahaad ate the rest of his rice clumsily and cleared his dishes.

He returned to Yugi's room and changed into a fresh tunic, and applied the necessary oils and kohl. He looked at the Muto's living room and discovered he didn't know how to use any of the strange electronic devices in the room. He went over to inspect a small bookcase and found to his dismay that he couldn't read any of the titles. He pulled several books off the shelf and opened them anyway. He pulled out a tall thin book, that looked old and examined it more closely. He couldn't read the title on the cover but when he opened the codex, his eyes widened in delight as he discovered it was written almost exclusively in hieroglyphs.

He sat on the couch and began to read some of the classics works of Egyptian literature: _The Destruction of Mankind, The Tale of Two Brothers_ , _Shipwrecked Sailor_ and even some Wisdom literature by Phtahotep, Merikare among others. After several hours Grandpa entered the room and spotted the book the priest was reading. He smiled to himself thinking back to his early days, as an archaeologist when De Buck had been young. "Do you like that?" Solomon asked. Mahaad surveyed him over the top of the book. "Yes, I love these stories," he replied. Grandpa then heard the ding of the bell on the counter and excused himself to attend to the customer. Mahaad was about to return to the book when he suddenly got the eerie feeling that something was wrong. The book slid through his slender fingers to the floor below and his thoughts instantly turned to his king at school.

He stood. Within a minute he felt the all too familiar pull of his signature summon. Without a second thought, his clothes shimmered and changed to the garb of the Dark Magician. Staff in hand, he vanished. Unbeknownst to him, Grandpa had finished with the customer and reentered the room a moment later. He saw the open book on the floor and called out, "Mahaad?"

In another flash Mahaad appeared at Yami's side. They were currently in the courtyard of the school, and Mahaad instantly noticed that lack of swirling purple mist. They weren't in the Shadow Realm. In the magician's momentary confusion, a brown serpent reared its head to strike the purple clad spellcaster. "Mahaad, look out!" he heard the Pharaoh cry out from behind him. The priest turned in just enough time to see a large tongue lash out at him, wrapping around his right leg and pulling him to the ground. Mahaad grunted as he hit the ground and it only took him a second or two to realize the snake's saliva was poisonous. He was suddenly even more grateful for his bodysuit of armor. "Are you alright?" Yami asked. In response, Mahaad ignited the end of his staff and hit the seven foot long snake with a Dark Magic Attack. The serpent hissed in pain and released Mahaad who wasted no time getting to his feet. He hovered several inches off the ground and narrowed his eyes at the snake.

It hissed angrily at him and lunged again. Mahaad easily dodged it this time; however, the snake's tail caught him of guard and knocked him out of the air. He landed hard on his feet and slid backwards. With surprising agility the serpent spun around and changed toward the priest again. This caught him off guard and the serpent sank its fangs into Mahaad's upraised arm. Mahaad cried out in pain but the snake soon disintegrated into a pile of sand. Mahaad looked up in confusion to see Karim who still had his sword raised, having just chopped its head off. Mahaad sank to his knees and cradled his injured left arm. Pharaoh knelt at his side at once. "Let me see," he ordered.

Yami carefully took his friend's injured arm in his hands and gently rolled up the sleeve after removing the armor. There were two puncture wounds turning his skin a dark shade of purple. Just as he had three thousand years ago Yami leaned over and began sucking the poison out.

"Pharaoh, you needn't do this," Mahaad protested. In the background Karim silently moved to watch for incoming students.

"Mahaad, you know very well my reasons." Yami made sure the last of the poison was gone, before he turned to address Karim, who had been standing guard. "Karim, take him back to the house." Karim stepped forward and helped Mahaad to his feet. The priest winced slightly because of his bad leg. In that light, Yami amended his order. "And Karim, stay with him until I arrive." Karim bowed awkwardly, while still supporting Mahaad.

Yami watched them go, before returning control back to Yugi. Yugi headed to his next class but kept worrying about the two monsters. /Yami, what if someone sees them?/ He said as he looked out the window ignoring his teacher's prattle about chemistry.

/Yugi they will be fine. Both of them used to be human. And most likely they'll be mistaken for Duel Monster impersonators./ Several hours later Yugi walked into the Game Shop and Grandpa rose to meet him. He hugged his grandson, squeezing him tightly.

"Mahaad and Karim showed up a few hours ago. I didn't believe who Karim was at first," he explained leading Yugi up the stairs to his room. Yugi just nodded as Grandpa opened the door. Mahaad was lying on the couch with his eyes closed and was breathing heavily. Karim had been sitting on the floor next to his comrade in arms and had been conversing with him quietly. Karim started and went quiet upon hearing the door open. The Celtic Guardian bowed hastily. The Pharaoh still made him somewhat nervous, as he didn't interact with his king nearly as much as Mahaad and Mana did.

"Rise Karim," Yami whispered having taken over. Karim obeyed and stood. Yami motioned him to follow him out of the room where they could talk, without disturbing Mahaad. Grandpa left to tend the shop again. The elf seemed nervous and kept his gaze to the floor. "Karim?" "Yes, my king?" he asked keeping his eyes fixed on the carpet.

"Look at me."

Karim was somewhat surprised but obeyed, raising his head. "I want to thank you for your loyalty to me. It lifts my spirits."

"Thank you, my king."

"How is Mahaad?" his king asked leaning casually against the doorframe, his arms folded.

"He was in pain on the way here. He limped along and I had to support him. People looked at us strangely. Several people asked questions but no one tried to stop our progress." Pharaoh let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. You should return to the Shadow Realm."

It was present, but unspoken that incarnating Karim was taxing the Pharaoh's store of magic. The Celtic Guardian bowed and was gone. Yami reentered Yugi's bedroom. Mahaad had woken, and Yami was unsure if it had been on his own, or if the door had woken him. Yami crouched down by his head. "Are you alright?" his eyes filled with concern. He didn't think Mahaad was still weak from the ritual. Mahaad focused on Yami. "Yes, my Pharaoh. I am feeling better. I feel weak but I believe all the poison is gone."

"Are you sure—?" he was cut off by the door opening, revealing Grandpa holding a tray laden with food—he had even gone to the trouble of finding food that the priest would recognize.

Mahaad propped himself up on his elbows and took the tray gratefully. He looked quite pleased with the food on it. There was freshly baked bread, grapes, dates and a cucumber. He began eating a loaf of bread. Mahaad had finished the bread and was half way through a handful of dates when several pairs of footsteps were heard ascending the stairs. Joey knocked but didn't wait for an answer. He entered the room with Tea, and Tristan not too far behind. All three were still wearing their uniforms. "Yug! Are you alright?" Joey asked him giving him a hug. He released the shorter duelist and stepped back. Yami stood. "Yes, Joey. I am fine; however, Mahaad took some damage."

Yami turned to look at the priest who had suddenly become preoccupied with his remaining three dates. "I failed," Mahaad whispered, hoping no one would hear him. Yami shot him a scathing look that made Mahaad squirm. "We will discuss that later Mahaad," he said with a tone of finally.

"Yes, my Pharaoh." He replied meekly.

Yami then shifted his focus back to his friends. Tea still looked somewhat shaken. "That wasn't a Duel Monster that attacked you Yug." Joey stated watching his friend carefully. The Pharaoh shrugged. "It very well could have been. There were many monsters that didn't make it into the game." Tea nodded, "Just like the bald guy—Shada's Two Headed Jackal Warrior,"

"That's right," Tristan added.

"Pardon me, my pharaoh," Mahaad's quiet voice drew everyone's attention. "That serpent wasn't a Duel Monster. Its _heka_ felt different. It was a demon." Yami furrowed his brow at this. Joey was horrified by this news and began ranting about it.

/It was a demon?/

/Yes. This doesn't bode well. This may have been, why it was harder for Mahaad to fight it./

Yugi paled and the new implications of such a thing and closed the link.

Tea informed the gang that she had been accepted into a prestigious dance school in America, specifically New York City. "I applied late, so I just got my acceptance letter earlier today. I'm moving there in about week." She had been worried about how Yugi would take it, but he took the news well and promised to help her get ready, including practicing speaking English. She smiled and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before standing up and leaving. Yugi touched his cheek, as he watched her go, his face flaming red.

Author's Notes:

The Kanes should appear soon. I hope you guys are excited for some of the plot twists I have in store later. Please read and review! I will appreciate constructive criticism.


	4. Chapter 4

Battle of the Millennium Chapter 4

To make matters even more complicated Grandpa came upstairs and told everyone that Yugi's aunt and uncle were on their way to Japan, having just completed a tour of America. Tea, Tristan and Joey stayed for several hours and relaxed, while Grandpa fed them some fried rice.

Joey and Tristan left. Mahaad wanted to avoid intruding, ended up falling asleep instead.  
After a few minutes the Pharaoh came out of his reprieve and looked at the priest.

"Mahaad?" Yami inquired softly, gauging to see if the magician was asleep or not.

Mahaad's eyes opened and he focused his gaze on the ground.

"Yes, my Pharaoh?"

"Thank you," The priest looked away his cheeks hot with shame.

"You didn't fail me today. I shouldn't have asked so much of you. I know you still feel guilty about it and that will take time. You had better get some sleep. We are going to pick up Yugi's aunt and uncle from the airport tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Master." Yami narrowed his eyes slightly, and Mahaad tensed, wondering if he had overstepped his bounds. Yami didn't like it very much when Mahaad addressed him like this. The Pharaoh often told him that in so doing he was downplaying his noble station. Yami let it slide for now, much to Mahaad's relief.

With that Yami climbed under the sheets and fell asleep. Yugi's alarm woke both of them up the next morning.

Yugi yawned and stretched. To his surprise Mahaad was already folding the blanket and laid it neatly on the arm of the couch. "How are you awake?" the teen asked incredulously.

"Mostly because of long habit, I had to wake up before the sun to serve Lord Amun. It also helped that I slept a lot yesterday my Prince," he replied in his usual manner and bowed his head.  
"Please don't—" Yugi was interrupted by his Grandpa yelling up the stairs, "—Yugi! Breakfast is ready!"

"Ok, Grandpa!" Yugi made Mahaad face the wall while he changed. Mahaad just smiled faintly to himself. Yugi wouldn't have adapted well to being a Prince of Egypt, having a whole team of servants to dress him. "You can turn around now." Yugi was already on his way toward the kitchen. Mahaad quickly changed into a fresh tunic and followed suit. In honor of Yugi's relatives coming Grandpa had prepared eggs, toast, and some bacon and sausage. Mahaad wrinkled his nose in disgust. Master Shimon was serving bacon? Yugi had already taken a seat and was helping himself to a glass of orange juice. "May I?" Mahaad asked indicating the chair next to Yugi who nodded his mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"How are you Mahaad?"

"I am well, Master Solomon. How are you?" "Mahaad you shouldn't address me as your master. I am not your master anymore." 'But my grandson is', he thought to himself. "Hai, Muto-sama," he replied softly.

Grandpa frowned in response. "That's not what I meant, and you know that," Mahaad looked down at the empty plate in front of him. The elder man brought a plate piled high with toast and set it in the center of the table. "Dig in," he encouraged, taking a seat opposite Yugi. Mahaad took a piece of toast and some eggs.

It took Mahaad several minutes before he dared break the silence again. "How is orange juice made?" He asked sincerely. "In a factory with lots of people," Grandpa explained.  
"Are they slaves?"

"—No, they get paid," Yugi interjected. Yugi picked up his dishes and put them in the sink before going to his room.

/Yugi?/

/What?/ The boy asked making sure he had everything packed for school.

/Something is bothering you, may I know what it is?/ the Spirit materialized on Yugi's bed.

/I don't like it when Mahaad bows to me./ Yugi replied zipping up his backpack.

/It goes deeper than that doesn't it?/

/Yes. I want Mahaad to treat me like an equal./

/That will take time./ The spirit caught his light's train of thought.

/I could order him to do so. But I also recognize that he is in quite a bit of shock. He hasn't been human for almost three thousand years. His entire civilization is gone. Almost everyone he knows is dead and has been dead for millennia. He has to get used to Japanese culture as well as learn nearly three thousand years of history./ Shock came to Yami from Yugi over the link. /I just think that to ask him to do that would be too much right now./

Mahaad entered the room, but quickly picked up on the change in atmosphere and was about to back out. "Mahaad, surely you know by now you don't have to do that." Yami said from his position on the bed. Mahaad looked like he wanted to say something but just replied. "Yes, my king."

"Mahaad, I spoke with Tristan yesterday. He said you can borrow some of his clothing for today. You cannot go in public dressed like that," Mahaad looked down at his white tunic sadly. Yugi looked at him sympathetically. "I know it is hard, Mahaad. But being dressed like that will draw unwanted attention," Yugi added.

"As you wish, my Masters."

Yugi gave Yami a pointed look. Yami nodded in response. "And Mahaad, you can't address Yugi or me like that in public. In private you may do as you please. Tristan's clothes are on top of Yugi's desk."

"Yes, my Pharaoh," Mahaad said sadly.

He walked over to the desk and examined the neatly folded pile of clothes. There was a pair of jeans which Mahaad found revolting. Glancing back at Yugi's closet though, he was grateful Yugi hadn't insisted he dress in tight leather. It looked so restrictive compared to linen robes. Mahaad put the jeans on, and unfolded the plain white shirt and put it on too. Tristan had even allowed him to borrow his black and red jacket. Mahaad tested his new range of motion with the clothing and found he was more restricted and the fabric was heavy against his skin. He hadn't realized how well he could breathe in linen.

"May I speak with Taylor-san?" Mahaad asked, looking at himself in the mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself. And he rarely ever left his hair uncovered. "Yes, but wait to call him after we pick up my aunt and uncle." Yugi replied.

"Are you guys ready?" Grandpa called up the stairs. Yugi responded in the affirmative and he and Mahaad descended the stairs. Yugi and Yami talked for a few minutes while Grandpa and Mahaad loaded everything into the car. Yami decided to take over on the trip to the airport, because his presence was more reassuring to Mahaad and he could either lead by example, explain things in terms Mahaad could understand, or if needed be give a quick order in Egyptian. Yugi rode in the front seat while Mahaad rode in the back. Mahaad actually had time to appreciate the world around him. He had seen bits and pieces of many different places through duels, but it was hard to appreciate beauty while on the dueling field. He stared in wonder at all of the green trees and tall buildings that surrounded them.

They pulled into the airport parking lot and Grandpa pulled into a spot near the back, as the airport was already filled with people. They entered the chaos through sliding glass doors. There were people everywhere hurrying to their destinations. Mahaad was over simulated by the many people and new sights and smells. He never strayed too far from the group. Grandpa checked their information and led them to the right.

As the group stood waiting for the plane to come in a new voice broke in, "Mouto Yugi?" They turned around to see Odion standing there. He was wearing black pants and a long sleeved purple shirt. Yami asked, "What are you doing here Odion?" Odion broke into a smile. "Miss Ishtar is coming to Japan for a little bit to oversee the new Egyptian exhibit. I'm just going to meet her now. If you'll excuse me, I must see to Miss Ishtar." Yami gave a curt nod and watched as Odion walked away, and he was soon lost in the press of the crowd.

They didn't have too much time to think about this strange occurrence before Grandpa told them that the plane had landed. They watched the stream of people and Yami wordlessly switched places with Yugi, they were his aunt and uncle after all. Several minutes later Grandpa spotted them.

"Yugi!" Before he knew it his aunt embraced him, his uncle not far behind. "Hi dad," Yugi's uncle greeted giving Solomon a brief hug. Mahaad stood off to the side, awkwardly. He thought back to his own family and how he hadn't seen them in millennia. Their offerings had been neglected and they were starving. His chest constricted and a lump welled up in his throat. "Aunt, Uncle I want you to meet one of my best friends, Mahaad." Mahaad bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you Mahaad, I'm Hiroshi." Yugi's uncle said extending his hand. Mahaad mirrored the action and was slightly shocked when the man grabbed it and shook it up and down. "I'm Yumi, Yugi's aunt." he shook her hand too. They were both tan from touring the world and were dressed in slacks and polo shirts. Both had black hair.

"Allow me to take your bag, you've had a long flight." Solomon offered his son. Hiroshi objected and wheeled his suitcase behind him. "May I take your bag?" Mahaad asked Yumi trying to be helpful. "You're a nice young man, aren't you?" Yumi said passing off her luggage to the taller man. Solomon and Mahaad brought up the rear while Yugi and his aunt and uncle caught up, jabbering away in rapid Japanese. The car ride home was much the same. "Boy, you can take that up to Yugi's room," Hiroshi said gruffly. Mahaad was taken aback, but tried not to let it show on his face.

Mahaad didn't say anything, but followed Hiroshi's direction. He returned and joined everyone else in the living room. "Mahaad, where are you from?" Yumi asked. "Cairo, Egypt. I live with the Ishtars."

"Who are they?" she asked, confused. Yugi stepped in. "Mom, don't you remember the letter I sent you about Marik? They are brothers." "Oh, yes. I remember."

"What do you want to do as a career?" Mahaad had to smile to himself at the irony of that question. "I want to work for the government." Hiroshi broke into a triumphant smile. "See Yugi, he has a good career picked out. Why can't you get your head out of the clouds?" he rounded on his nephew. Mahaad who was seated to Yugi's right was frozen in shock, his eyes widened in horror. Mahaad though back to his days in Egypt with Pharaoh and how the Pharaoh had helped him more than he had been able to repay. He opened his mouth to defend his king.

"What is wrong with Mas-Yugi wanting to duel? Not everyone is suited to work in the government." There was a spark of challenge in Mahaad's eyes.

"He can't make a living off dueling!" Yumi interjected.

"No one said he would make a living off of dueling!" Mahaad shot back.

"Mahaad." Yami had taken over and the look it his eyes said it all. Stop. The magician backed down and stared at his empty plate.

Yugi avoided his uncle's gaze and didn't say anything. Hiroshi huffed and grabbed the bowl of rice on the table and began serving himself.

His uncle and Grandfather followed shortly after and Yugi took some rice but not a lot "We're not eating until dinner," Yumi reminded the boys. Mahaad also took some rice but no more than Yugi did. The rest of lunch continued in silence. After the meal was over Yugi rose from the table, most everyone else missed the slight glow of the Puzzle and Yami walked up to his room and shut the door. Mahaad rose and followed and rapped his knuckles softly on the door. "Go away Uncle," Yami said doing a very a good impression of the teen. "May I come in?" Mahaad asked. "Yes." Mahaad opened the door and slipped inside. Yami was sitting cross legged on the bed.

"How could they say such things about Yugi?" Yami demanded. Yami's voice had an edge to it. "I know it's not what you want to hear my king, but they probably just want what is best for him."

"I know but that doesn't stop them for being misguided," he countered. The Pharaoh blew out his breath in frustration.

There was another knock on the door.

Both men froze.

"Yes?" Yami asked.

"Can I come in?" It was Grandpa. In response Yami crossed the room and opened the door. Grandpa walked in and sat down in the desk chair. "I know you don't want to talk to your aunt and uncle right now, but they want to out and have some fun."

"Alright, but Yugi doesn't want to talk to them right now." Grandpa didn't respond, he just left the room. They decided to go to the movies and go to a park. It took several hours and soon it was dark and time to go to bed. "We'll sleep down here," Yugi offered, he was in much better spirits now. Yugi pulled some blankets and pillows from the closet. Mahaad retrieved the ones he had been using from Yugi's room.

"I'll take the shorter couch," Yugi said sitting on it. "Very well, if that is your will." The text day had several surprises in store for them. The first of which was that Yugi's aunt and uncle announced at breakfast that they were taking Yugi and several friends on a trip to Egypt. Shortly after the announcement the phone rang. Grandpa went and picked it up. He returned to the table a few moments later and covered the receiver and handed it to his grandson. "It's for you." Yugi just nodded his thanks and took the phone. "Hello?" he asked. "My Prince, are you alright?" He probably should have been a bit more shocked to hear Ishizu's voice on the other end of the line. "Yes, I am fine." She told him of vision the night before of him going to Egypt and a dark force arising. He reassured her everything was fine, at the moment. "And Ishizu, my aunt and uncle are flying us out to Egypt in two weeks," she caught his meaning.

"I'll be waiting with the rest of the tomb keepers," she said. "Thank you," he clicked the receiver and the line went dead.

Yami also told Yugi's aunt and uncle that he wanted to see Tea off to dance school in New York before they left, which they agreed to. They also hammered out other details such as who was actually going and such.

The day of their departure to New York arrived cold, gray and wet. Yugi went through a final check of his bags before taking them downstairs. Mahaad packed light, having only a carry on and a single small suitcase. Most of his important stuff was stored safely in the _Duat_. He too brought his luggage down and helped Yugi and Hiroshi load it in the car. "Are we ready to go?" Yumi asked as she walked toward them. "Pretty much," Hiroshi replied, shutting the trunk of Grandpa's car firmly.

Tea and the others arrived and piled their stuff into the car, and soon they were off. Upon arriving at the airport they unloaded their luggage and Grandpa handed out their tickets in the event they got separated. They checked their bags in at the counter. Mahaad's was the lightest. "What did you pack in there, feathers?" Joey asked. Mahaad just smiled cryptically, but didn't reply. They left their suitcases and joined the line to get their passports checked and to go through security.

It took what seemed like forever.

Joey even dug around in his bag until he found some half eaten granola bars at the bottom, that he and Tristan fought over. Once they reached the front and presented their passes, Yugi was grateful he had talked Kaiba into getting Mahaad ID papers and stuff. They looked at the passport the magician presented them and narrowed their eyes after waving him through the scanner. One of the security guards looked at him with renewed interest as his partner pulled the man aside for questioning. After they questioned him for awhile they let him go. Then they all had to go through security. Mahaad stood near the back of the group. He took off all his metal stuff, socks and shoes and placed them in a bin along with his shoulder bag. Then he drew a breath and went through the scanner again, emerging safely on the other side.  
He collected his shoes and socks and put them on. The fabric still felt quite heavy against his skin and he longed for linen. Yami had also ordered him not to wear robes at the airport, and explained that security would have been drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He retrieved his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He followed the group to the boarding area to wait. Yugi's aunt and uncle were talking to Master Solomon, Yugi was talking with Tea and Joey and Tristan were looking at all of the overpriced airport food hungrily.

As soon as they found seats they set their stuff down to wait. Joey and Tristan informed the group that they were going to find something to eat. "Anyone want to come?" Mahaad looked up at them. "I would," he said, rising. "Alright! Follow us," Joey said leading the way through the maze of the airport. Mahaad followed behind as they marched toward the food. Mahaad scanned the food selection hunting for something he actually recognized. To his delight he found a deli sandwich. "What does this say?" he asked Tristan, indicating the kanji on the wrapping. The brunette leaned over, his arms full of chips and cookies. "Turkey and cheddar with lettuce and tomatoes." he read. "Thank you." Mahaad picked it up. "You can't read?" Joey asked coming around the corner. "I can read six languages and understand three more, just not Japanese," he defended himself.

"Really?" Tristan asked the awe in his voice was evident. The priest nodded. "You need something to pass the time in the _Duat_ ," he said offhandedly. They moved to the counter to pay for their food. Yugi had given Mahaad a small amount of yen in case they got separated and Mahaad used this allowance to buy the sandwich. They met back with everyone and sat down to enjoy their food. After awhile it was finally their turn to board. They presented their boarding passes and found their seats. Mahaad happened to have a seat on the right of Pharaoh with Tea on his left.

Mahaad was quickly lost in his own thoughts, but was pulled from them. "What do you think so far?" Yugi asked him. "It is all so overwhelming," he shook his head. He wished he had something more interesting to say. Yugi smiled reassuringly at him. "It will get better," he promised. Mahaad who had the window looked out at the runway.

Mahaad stared out the window in awe, as soon as the plane was airborne. Everything below them was so tiny! Soon however the miniature cities gave way to the uniformity of the ocean and Mahaad quickly lost interest, especially after hearing it would take several hours to cross it. Mahaad reflected on their previous meeting with Odion. The man was bald and for a moment Mahaad thought he might have been one of the priests from the tomb keeper's clan, but dismissed the thought after reading his hieroglyph tattoos. Mahaad blinked a few times bringing himself back to the present. Tristan and Joey behind him were talking and laughing, Tea was sleeping and Yugi had a glazed faraway look in his eyes that indicated he was in his soul room or in conversation with the Pharaoh.

Suddenly Yugi came out of his stupor and focused on Mahaad who started and hastily looked away out the window, hoping against hope that Yugi hadn't seen him staring at the shorter teen. Mahaad had failed to note the glint of excitement in Yugi's eyes. Yugi finally had some alone time with his favorite Monster.

"Mahaad?" Yugi asked tentatively, unsure how the magician would respond. "Yes, my Prince?" Mahaad asked. "Will you come into my soul room? I want to talk to you." In response Mahaad bowed his head and closed his eyes, Yugi did as well.

Yugi appeared in his actual soul room, while Mahaad appeared in the Soul Corridor. Yugi opened his door wide, and smiled warmly. "Come in Mahaad," The magician obliged and bowed before crossing the threshold. The door opposite them opened, to their surprise. Yami looked at the pair of them. "It's alright Yami, I just want to talk to Mahaad!" the excitement was evident in his voice. The Pharaoh smiled at both of them and regarded them fondly. "I was just making sure things were alright. Have fun. Let me know if you need anything." The Spirit shut his door.

Yugi shut his own door and sat down on the bed. Mahaad picked his way carefully through the various toys strewn across the floor, taking great care to avoid moving any of them. Because these toys were in Yugi's soul room, he didn't want there to be any unintended consequences of accidently moving one of them, it might alter a memory or something. "Have a seat Mahaad," Yugi invited, grinning. Mahaad chose to sit on the floor, and sat down cross legged, leaning forward toward Yugi, who mirrored his actions on the bed.

Mahaad waited patiently for Yugi to begin, and moved a few stray stands of his chestnut hair out of his eyes. Yugi swallowed nervously before he spoke. " _Jed wi en Abetek_ ," _Tell me of your family_. Mahaad's eyes widened in shock and delight. A rare smiled graced the magician's lips, as he replied, " _Tiw, Repat Nebi_ ," _Yes Prince, my Master_. Yugi's eyebrows knit together as he tried to figure out what Mahaad had said. " _Tiw_ means 'yes," Yugi said, he was elated that he understood some of what Mahaad had told him. Seeing the younger boy's confusion, Mahaad explained. " _Repat_ means 'Prince' and _Nebi_ —" Yugi cut Mahaad off. "—my Master," Yugi finished. Seeing Yugi's face grow warm Mahaad answered his question. While, he wanted to be respectful to his younger master, he didn't want the younger boy to be angry with him.

"My family consisted of my father Nakht, my mother Raia, and my younger brother Kamose. We lived in a manor near the palace in Waset or modern-day Thebes. I was chosen to live at the palace because of my magical ability and my father was a priest at the Karnak temple," Mahaad looked crestfallen to think about his family. Yugi knew he must miss them a lot. He had given up everything in service of his king. "My family's offerings have been neglected for a long time." Yugi unfolded his legs and stood.

"Come on, let's talk to Yami, he can do something," Yugi said his eyes shining with the glee of having a chance to help his favorite Monster. Mahaad, while uncomfortable with approaching the Pharaoh about it, couldn't say no to Yugi's enthusiasm. Yugi waited for him to stand and they crossed the hallway and stood in front of Yami's door.

Yugi knocked politely on the door. "Yami?" The Spirit opened the door. "Come in, take a seat." Yugi sat on a desk chair while Yami leaned against his bed. Again Mahaad took up his position on the floor. "Yami, Mahaad said his family's offerings have been neglected," Yugi stated. Yami nodded gravely, considering the new information. Yami turned to Mahaad.

" _Wn pw ma'at?_ " _Is this true?_ " _Tiw, Nisw Nebi_ ," _Yes, the King my Master_.

Yami's eyes narrowed, in suspicion. " _Em netek ni jed wi?_ " _Why didn't you tell me?_ Mahaad dropped his gaze. "Yami!" Yugi cut in. "It wasn't his fault. He has had a lot to get used to! He's pretty overwhelmed right now," Suddenly the anger was gone. "I know _Aibou_ , I recently got my memories back and I saw everyone including Mahaad die right before my eyes. I feel guilty that he died for me. Let's renew their offerings now," Mahaad's expression changed to one of fright to hope. " _Nebi?_ " Mahaad inquired reverently.

Yami stood up erect then knelt on the stone floor. Mahaad hastened to bow beside his king, his hands extended, palms down in praise, while he was curled up in a ball on the floor, as Yami began to chant.

After the ritual Mahaad and Yugi returned to their bodies.

Time passed slowly, Mahaad didn't want to admit to being bored, yet he was bored. He had little to do and Pharaoh had asked him not to perform magic on the plane, so he shifted to a more comfortable position and closed his eyes trying to fall asleep. Many hours and an hour long layover in Lost Angeles, they landed in New York. It was late afternoon and the sun would soon set. Mahaad was still tired when he woke up, having not slept very well on the plane. An announcement came overheard in a language Mahaad didn't recognize, but he followed Yugi's example and grabbed his carry on and joined the crowd exiting the plane.

The rest of the trip to the hotel, Mahaad was in a daze. Yugi had looked at him with a worried expression and asked if he was alight. He replied he was, but he was just tired. He hardly remembered meeting Yugi's aunt and uncle and collecting their luggage. They waited in the lobby with their bags while Grandpa checked them in. They got two hotel rooms, one with two beds and the other with just one. Yumi led the way and set her luggage down, Hiroshi not too far behind her. Yugi yawned and stretched as he too entered the room. Mahaad followed Joey and Tristan into the adjoining room and noticed that there was only one bed. He stumbled over to the inviting couch and his clothes shimmered for a second before changing into his sleeping tunic. He lay down and thought he heard Joey say something about that not being fair before sleep overcame him.

Mahaad awoke with a start the next morning as Joey tripped over his own suitcase and crashed to the floor. Mahaad sat up and looked around in alarm before spotting Joey on the floor, and he relaxed a bit before throwing off the covers and standing up. His clothes changed again to a pair of Levis and a t shirt and a baseball cap. Soon everyone was up and dressed and they all headed down to breakfast. Yugi's parents asked how everyone slept and they waited in line for breakfast. Yugi rubbed the back of his head and he replied he had slept well. After several minutes they reached the food and Joey and Tristan began piling their plates high with toast bacon and hash browns.

Mahaad grabbed some toast, fruit and milk, food he recognized and joined everyone else at a table as they began to discuss their plans for the day. "I am going to see Tea's new apartment," Yugi's parents nodded, taking this into account. Yumi wanted to see the statue of Liberty and Times Square before Yugi went to see Tea. They ended up deciding to go together and see some of the famous sights and then the younger group could break off the see their friends while Yami and Hiroshi did something on their own. As soon as everyone was ready, they headed out. Mahaad was somewhat shocked to see so many people on the streets milling about. He didn't comment on it, but followed the rest of the group through the city. The morning passed fairly quickly for the priest, as he had never dreamed of the sights they were seeing.

Mahaad relaxed a little as they headed for Tea's apartment. The rest of the day should have been smooth sailing, but couldn't have been further form the truth. They jumped on the train heading for section of the city that Tea lived in. The doors shut and they were off, waving to Yugi's aunt and uncle as the train pulled away. When they arrived at her stop Mahaad stood before the others. Yugi quickly joined him.

Something in the air felt wrong about Brooklyn Station.

Mahaad got off the train and was alert. When they turned the corner, they quickly discovered the reason for their unease. There was a large three headed snake standing on two feet blocking their exit. Yami instinctively took control that Yugi willfully gave him. Mahaad made his way to stand at his Pharaoh's side. The Hikari watched from the safely of his soul room. Surprisingly their fellow passengers didn't seem to be overly disturbed by the monster.

Yami and Mahaad exchanged glances. They got their answer when a woman in pink and carrying a large parasol shouted, "Rabid dog!" Mahaad shook his head, her scream didn't make sense but they didn't have time to worry about that right now. Mahaad read the subtle clues his Pharaoh gave him, as if they were verbal orders. He moved to the right and began to draw the monster toward him. The Pharaoh began to gather his Shadow magic in a ball. Neither of them expected what happened next.

Two teens appeared on the scene. They were both wearing white linen robes. The boy wielded a _khopesh_ , while the shorter girl clutched a wooden staff. Both of them actually noticed the monster and unlike the people that surrounded them, didn't run in the opposite direction. 

Author's Notes:

The two groups finally see each other!

I should be able to have the next chapter up in a week or so.

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Meetings

Mahaad was shocked to see the two teens, but remained focused on his task of distracting the serpent. The boy raised his sword, while the girl just stared at them, especially the Pharaoh's hair. Joey and Tristan had wisely hung back, and were watching the confrontation with trepidation. The boy struck one of the snake heads with his khopesh; the head hissed angrily in response. Both heads turned on the boy and went after him. He rolled out of the way, barely escaping the left head's fangs. He felt the rush of air go past him as he landed clumsily out of reach.

This snapped the girl out of her shock at seeing Mahaad and Yami. She threw down the white oaken staff she was carrying, and it transformed into a lion. It roared angrily and charged at the snake.

The Pharaoh had a good sized ball of Shadow magic now, and he flung it at the monster while it was distracted with the two teens. The snake rounded on him and he was forced to dive out of the way as well. Mahaad went on the offensive, now that the snake's attention was elsewhere. He summoned his teal staff and smiled faintly at the familiar power it gave him, as it surged through him. He launched one of his signature Dark Magic Attacks. The ball of green light struck its target and the snake roared in anger. The girl's lion had been on the prouwl and had been waiting for this opportunity. The lion took it and jumped on top of the snake.

The four magicians had formed an uneasy alliance to defeat the snake monster. The serpent was vanquished due to a combined attack from the boy's sword, a sneak attacked from behind, and a full on frontal assault from the Pharaoh's shadow magic. To both the Pharaoh's and Mahaad's surprise the snake dissolved into sand right before their eyes. The Pharaoh blinked in confusion. Mahaad vaguely heard Joey and Tristan cheering in the background. The two Egyptians turned their attention to the two linen clad youth. Mahaad took control of the situation and stepped forward; however, just like his apprentice Mana, the girl beat him in asking questions. "Who are you?—" the accent was strangely familiar but Mahaad couldn't place it, nor had he understood the language she used.

He cast a quick translation spell to remedy the situation. "—I am Sadie Kane and this is my brother Carter," she watched their faces closely for any sign of familiarity, but found none. They didn't react to her name, or her brother's, who were they? "I am Yugi Muto and this is Mahaad." Yami explained. The girl couldn't resist, and gestured at his gravity-defying hair. "Is your hair real?" she wondered. The Pharaoh's lips curled into his trademark smirk, the one he usually saved for duels.

"Yes, it is real. I was born with it," The boy—Carter's, sword vanished as he presumably stored it in the _Duat_. "Thank you for your help with the snake. Both of you are skilled magicians. Where did you learn magic?" he asked the question without trying to sound suspicious, but wasn't sure if they picked up on it or not.

The Pharaoh and the priest knew this was a loaded question, especially since they were unsure if these two teens could be trusted. Mahaad decided to be cautious yet honest. "In Egypt," he stated. Carter looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't. At this Sadie crossed her arms, and blew a bubble with her gum. "Carter, they could easily be working with Kwai and the others rebels of the House." She tried to pull him away, but he jerked his arm free. Mahaad raised an eyebrow at that. "I assure you, that we do not take orders from a man named Kwai," Mahaad said darkly. (How could some evil man go running around with a name like cute, Mahaad wasn't sure.)

"We are Egyptians," Mahaad defended them.

/Don't you think Mahaad is overstepping the boundaries just a bit? You might be Egyptian, but I _am_ Japanese!/

Yami just sent mirth down the link in response. "Sadie you can't deny we need any allies we can find. The Serpent is rising," Mahaad tensed and shifted his stance slightly. They knew about the serpent. "I promise you, we do not support him, in his quest to take over the world," he vowed. The two teen relaxed.

Tristan and Joey walked up and introduced themselves briefly before informing Mahaad and Yami that they were going to let Tea know what had happened. "We'll be there shortly," The pharaoh affirmed. "Our Nome's headquarters are not too far from here in Brooklyn. You will be safe there," Carter offered. Mahaad and Pharaoh exchanged meaningful glances. "We are going to see our friend Tea now, but we'll meet you tonight at seven, at the bridge—that's about half way between here and our hotel," The Pharaoh replied in a conversational tone.

The linen clad magicians agreed and the four of them bid goodbye. Yami started off down the street the same way Joey and Tristan had gone earlier. Mahaad followed behind, slightly to his king's right side. "What do you think about them?" The Pharaoh's voice was even, but the priest sensed the anxiety behind the words. "I think we can trust them, my king. They oppose the serpent." The Pharaoh nodded. "I agree, but we must be cautious."

/And Yami, they didn't even ask about the Puzzle./ Yugi pointed out.

/That's true. That would be nice for a change./ The Spirit remarked dryly. His light laughed in response.

/I think they can be trusted as well./ Yami told Mahaad about Yugi's opinion.

This brought a rare smile to the magician's lips. "Yes, my prince is a good judge of character." Even though Yugi was in his soul room, he was honored to hear his favorite monster say that.

Master and servant continued walking down the street, until they reached Tea's apartment a few minutes later. They could already hear the boys' laughter coming from within. Yami switched with Yugi who knocked on the door impatiently. The door swung open to reveal Tea who beamed and invited them inside. Mahaad entered last and Tea shut the door behind him. Mahaad noticed that the two boys were sprawled on Tea's leather couches, with several boxes of pizza on the black coffee table in front of them. Tea directed Yugi to the loveseat to sit with her. Mahaad remained in the center of the room, awkwardly.

Tristan noted the magician's discomfort and moved his feet off the seat next to him. "Come sit down by us Mahaad." The priest nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Taylor-san." As Mahaad sat down Tristan replied. "You don't have to be so formal, Mahaad we're all friends here."

"I will try," Mahaad said half-heartedly. Tristan clapped him on the back, which shocked him. At Tristan's urging, Mahaad took a slice of pizza and began eating it. He had seen others eat pizza before but was excited to try it himself. While the new girl Sadie had reminded Mahaad of his apprentice, Tristan reminded Mahaad of himself.

Whenever the Pharaoh or Yugi were occupied, Mahaad relied on Tristan to guide him through the unfamiliar modern world. Joey was currently glued to the TV, watching the American Regional Duel Monster's Tournament and Yugi and Tea were on the loveseat. Together, Yugi and Mahaad explained the snake's attack and Tea looked horrified.

"We'll beat them just like we always do," Yugi reassured her. She felt a little more confident at these words. He and Tea talked a bit more and Joey lost interest, returning to the championships. "You aren't going to watch?" Tristan asked Mahaad, who shook his head. Tristan looked somewhat surprised, considering Mahaad was the Dark Magician. Seeing the confused look on the other boy's face Mahaad elaborated. "I don't wish to see this particular duel. Not after what Bandit Keith did to my Masters," he replied, glaring at the TV screen. "Especially because after the duel his Rock King kept harassing the other monsters in my Masters' Deck," Even though Tristan knew Duel Monsters were real, it was still a bit new to him that they had their own lives out of the game. "How many enemies do you have?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

Mahaad cocked his head to the side, considering the question. "Well as you know my Masters have many; and many monsters in their enemies' Decks don't care for me much either. We have to be on our guard a lot. After all, my Master is the number one Duelist in the world."

Several hours and several matches later, the gang determined that it was time to head back to the adults in their group. They bid Tea goodbye and left, but not before Tea gave Yugi a light kiss. The ride back was uneventful and they arrived just in time to go out to dinner. Hiroshi and Yumi took them to fancy sit down restaurant. Mahaad looked over the menu, nervously trying to pick something to eat. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of Yugi's aunt and uncle and he had gotten the feeling that Hiroshi didn't really like him. He had decided on a Cesar salad he at least knew that implied it was Roman salad. He was quite pleased with his interpretive skills. Their waiter arrived to take their order.

((No alcohol Mahaad.)) The Pharaoh's voice startled him as he had spoken telepathically, so the magician jumped slightly. (Yes, my Pharaoh.) Hiroshi had seen him jump and flashed the priest a jeering smile. "They're just here for drinks Mahaad." As soon as dinner was over they headed back to their hotel. Yugi checked the time they only had twenty minutes until they had to meet Carter and Sadie. The cab pulled to the curb and dropped them off. Tristan tipped the driver as the rest of them got out.

They headed to the boys' room to discuss their family plans and both Yugi and Yami knew they had to break away. As they rode the elevator Yugi became more apprehensive. /Yami, we need a plan./ The Spirit stirred within the Puzzle. /I know Yugi that is why I have one. We can say we left one of our armbands at Tea's apartment./ Yugi smiled. As soon as they settled into the room to begin discussing things, Yugi went into action.

He began frantically searching his pockets. "I've lost two of my armbands!" The others waited for a minute while he kept checking for them, with no obvious luck. " I must have left them at Tea's apartment," he said. Tristan and Joey stood and said they would go back with him. "No, that's alright guys. I appreciate your help but I'll go. It's not that far," he smiled, trying to reassure them everything would be fine. A look of comprehension dawned on Joey's face. Mahaad had been observing the whole interchange closely.

Yugi turned and left the room. Mahaad shot to his feet and went after him. He wouldn't allow Pharaoh to go alone. "May I accompany you?" he asked. The teen stopped and allowed Mahaad to catch up with him. He turned to face the magician.

"Yes, of course Mahaad," Yugi said smiling. "I knew you would want to come. I don't want to put Joey or Tristan in harm's way." Even though Mahaad might still feel nervous around both Yugi and Yami, Yugi felt at ease with the magician by his side. He was the Monster he identified with the most. "Mahaad, while we are here in New York, we need to go see the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have a large Egyptian collection. You could show us around and stuff," the teen looked at Mahaad who smiled. "That would be an honor, my Prince."

"Yami's been teaching me Egyptian, but there are still some things I don't understand. Can you help me sometime?" Yugi asked giving the magician his puppy dog eyes. Mahaad smiled, remembering back to the many times both Mana and the Prince had used the same look to get out of their lessons. "I will help you in any way that I can. You can ask for my help at any time, my Prince."

The Pharaoh listened to the conversation from his soul room and he was glad that his two friends were getting along well. He did have to laugh at the irony of the situation. His light's hero was his servant, but on a deeper level it reflected Yugi's openness with people. He never treated anyone as if they were inferior to him. /Do you really need help with Egyptian?/

/Yeah, there are a few things I still don't fully understand./

/I am sure Mahaad can help you. He is my advisor for a reason./ They continued down the street and crossed in front of a dark alleyway.

"Yugi!' a voice cried sharply from the depths of the alleyway. Yugi jumped and Mahaad stiffened.

It was Ryou Bakura.

He emerged from the shadows and it was clear that they were now face to face with the King of Thieves. Out of instinct Mahaad stepped forward to protect Yugi. At the same time Yugi relinquished control to the Pharaoh. "What do you want thief?" Mahaad demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously. In response Bakura just threw back his head and laughed manically. "You're still a slave to that arrogant fool, eh Mahaad?' Did you have an enjoyable three thousand years in the Shadow Realm?' Mahaad just frowned. "I seem to have hit a sore spot for you," he sneered.

"Leave him alone, Bakura. What do you want?" The Pharaoh demanded. Bakura ignored the question and continued toying with them. "Are you so weak Mahaad that your master has to fight your battles?" Mahaad just gave Bakura a death glare in response.

Bakura continued to insult both of them but his favorite target was Mahaad. Eventually Mahaad had had enough, especially after Bakura stepped forward threateningly. When Bakura insulted Yami's father, Mahaad snapped. He leapt at the Thief King and tackled him to the ground. Yugi materialized out of the Puzzle, watching in horror. /Stop him Yami!/ "Mahaad!" Yami said sternly. The two of them continued to pummel each other on the ground. Bakura hit Mahaad with a good hook to the nose and Mahaad's nose began bleeding. "Mahaad stop!" Yami cried. Mahaad froze momentarily which gave Bakura the opening he needed. He hit the priest squarely in the jaw and the priest recoiled in pain.

Yami didn't want anything else to happen, especially if Bakura got really angry and tired to seal Mahaad's soul in something else other than his card. "Mahaad! I order you to stop!" The Pharaoh used his authoritative, no nonsense tone with the magician. Mahaad obeyed and stopped resisting even as Bakura hit him again, before Mahaad untangled himself from the albino and stood, awaiting judgment. Bakura cackled again. "Mahaad! How could you do something like that? You could have been killed!" Yugi demanded in spirit form, his eyes filled with concern.

Mahaad hung his head in shame, the blood still flowing freely from his nose, and he made no effort to clean it up. "He insulted both of you and Pharaoh's parents," Mahaad felt the guilt welling up inside of him. "Apologize to him," Yugi ordered. "I apologize," Mahaad intoned. Bakura sneered in response. "You're a pathetic beaten dog, Mahaad," Bakura jeered and then sauntered off.

Yugi retreated into the Puzzle, leaving Mahaad and Yami alone. "I am sorry, my king." Mahaad practically whispered as he sunk into a low bow. "I accept your apology Mahaad. I know you were doing what you thought best in the heat of the moment. That being said, make sure that it does not happen again. Yugi is right. You could have been killed or worse."

"Yes, Master:" Both Yugi and Yami knew how seriously Mahaad treated his vows. Yami crossed the distance between them and raised his friend to a standing position. Yami waited while Mahaad cleaned himself up and healed his wounds, before heading for the meeting place with Carter and Sadie.

The Pharaoh noted that that two teen hadn't arrived yet, as they reached the bridge. Even though it was quite a busy street there were benches nearby and the two of them sat down to wait. They didn't have to wait long. Yugi pointed down the street at the two siblings approaching them. They were still dressed in their linens, but carried no obvious sign of weaponry. They exchanged greetings. "Our headquarters are this way," Sadie said taking the lead, heading in the direction they had just come. "I remember you saying earlier about the _Per Ankh_ , what has been going on there?" Mahaad asked. "Well in ancient times there was a House in every temple-" Mahaad nodded, he knew that much.

"—But that all changed when the Romans took over. Since Egypt was just a providence in the Empire, there was no pharaoh to rule. The temples' house of Life combined into one and Egypt became the First Nome, with the other nomes outside of Egypt." Mahaad gave a non commental grunt in response, as he wanted time to mull the information over. Yami had guessed right, there had been about equal distance between the two locations. Yugi and Yami switched places as the Pharaoh wanted to observe for now. The siblings led them to the industrial part of town, on the east bank of the East River. There was an abandoned factory there. As soon as they turned the corner they discovered a large four story mansion sitting on top of an old abandoned factory. "Awesome!' Yugi exclaimed.

Mahaad per usual didn't show much emotion. While he knew Yugi was excited, Mahaad had seen much stranger things. The building seemed to grow in size as they approached. They entered the factory and Sadie led them to the secret entrance to their Nome. Soon they were face to face with a several ton slab of granite. Neither of the siblings looked worried and Sadie stood confidently and raised her hand, surprisingly the slab followed her movements. As the four of them entered the stone slid into place behind them. Mahaad surveyed the room, even he had to admit it was impressive. The central feature of the Great Room was a two story statue of Thoth in traditional robes with a roll of papyrus in one hand a reed stylus in the other. Yugi noticed the glyphs on the scroll and found to his delight he could read them.

There were hallways leading off from the Great Room. There were also unmistakable signs that other teens lived there too. Wrappers of various kinds were spread across the coffee table and on the floor, art work and textbooks were scattered haphazardly throughout the room.

They also heard several voices coming toward them, and several other teenagers came downstairs to join them. When they laid eyes on the newcomers, especially Yami they started, the previous conversation dying. "I'd like to introduce everyone to Yugi and Mahaad. They are two magicians we discovered today," Carter said. And by the way the others responded, he seemed to be the one in charge. They were introduced to Alyssa, a student of Geb, Jaz of Sekhmet, and Cleo of Thoth and Walt. They weren't sure which god he was trying to channel. Then the unwanted question came from Alyssa.

"Who is your patron god?" Mahaad considered the question before giving his reply. "Lord Mahaaes." The group looked somewhat confused. "Who is that?" Walt asked. Mahaad frowned in displeasure, but replied, "A god of war." That satisfied them for now and the group shifted their attention to the shorter newcomer. "Mine is Lord Horus." Carter was somewhat taken aback by this but recovered quickly. "Mine too," he said excitedly. The Pharaoh smiled warmly at Carter, it had been a long time since he had met others who still believed in the old ways.

"I don't mean to be the messenger of bad news, but I must ask what information you have about the Serpent." Mahaad inquired. The mood in the room darkened at this. "Follow us," Carter said as he led the newcomers and some of his more senior students to the balcony that overlooked the East River. This was where they had all of their important meetings, over the dinner table. Carter waited until everyone was seated before speaking. He seemed a bit nervous as he began his story. He only told them the necessary details. He told them about how the Snake was breaking free and Ra's nightly journey through the _Duat_ to combat him. He then moved to things the duo didn't know, all of the recent attacks on the nomes the world over, leaving no survivors. As evidence he produced a cell phone and showed them the burnt façade of a building in Nanjing.

"We want to lend any assistance we can. It is unfortunate that we don't live here in New York," Yami began. "But we will take care of things tomorrow and we will be able to lend support for the remainder of the week until we along with some of our non magical friends, will be traveling to Egypt." Sadie didn't look pleased to hear that. "You know Egypt is really dangerous right now and not just with the mortals," Sadie warned him. "Yes, I know. We will be careful," The Pharaoh replied with an almost unusual amount of conviction. Mahaad checked his watch. "We had better leave soon, or we are going to be missed," he advised.

"Can we offer you something to drink before you go/" Jaz asked. They accepted the offer and she rose and quickly exited the room. Mahaad surveyed the room and noticed a copper bowl on a pedestal in one corner and a while crocodile splashing in a pool nearby. "Do you scry much?" Mahaad asked. It had been much too long since he had someone new he could talk with about magic. "I don't, but Carter here likes to spy on his girlfriend in Egypt." Sadie teased poking her brother in the ribs. Carter turned red and looked away. Walt chose this as an opportune time to jump in. "No too much. That is what most of the initiates do at First Nome in Egypt. They scour the world looking for new magicians." They were interrupted by Jaz's return with two steaming cups of salab. Mahaad's face brightened at the sight of it and he took his cup gratefully.

The Pharaoh gave a low chuckle at Mahaad before accepting his own cup. When they drank their fill they stood to leave. Only Carter and Sadie followed them to the door. "Be careful, especially now that the Serpent knows there are other magicians in the city besides us." "We will," Mahaad replied softly. "Thank you," Yami added. As they left the Nome the door slid into place behind them. They set out for the trek back to their hotel, the sky darker now as they had been there for about an hour. "You seemed to have a good time with them, Mahaad," the magician grinned.

"Yes it was good to have new people to discuss magic with. I just wish the circumstances weren't so distressing," the priest frowned slightly. The Pharaoh's unexpected right turn prompted a question from him. "Aren't we going to Gardner-san's apartment to pick up your armbands?" Mahaad asked, seeking confirmation for his hunch. The Pharaoh smirked slightly in response. "As you probably guessed, I never left the bands at her apartment. I hid them," Yami rolled up his sleeve and there were two arm bands high up on his arm. "I see that you are astute as always, My Pharaoh,"

"I learned from the best," the Pharaoh replied laughing. Mahaad's smile widened. "Mana?" The Pharaoh didn't reply but smiled cryptically.

"Yugi wants to see the city a bit more, he's going to take over," Yami informed Mahaad, before the two spirits switched places. Mahaad didn't say anything, but he was a bit surprised that his Pharaoh had told him at all. "Did you have a good day?" Yugi asked the taller man. Yugi was happy to note that this too had elicited a smile from the magician. "Yes it has been interesting," Mahaad replied. "Do we still have time for you to help me with Egyptian?" Yugi asked looking at the priest hopefully. Mahaad closed his eyes for a second and inclined his head. "Of course, Master." Yugi tensed slightly, a fact that wasn't lost on Mahaad. "Is something wrong?" Mahaad asked concerned, his blue eyes quickly scanning the area for potential threats. Mahaad proceeded with more caution on the road ahead. "Not, it is fine," Yugi replied. Yugi wasn't entirely convinced Mahaad believed him, but he didn't argue.

Mahaad relaxed a bit when they arrived at the hotel. Since they had taken longer than expected, Yugi's parents had about been ready to call out a search party. "We were fine mom. And besides, even if something had happened I know Mahaad would protect me," Yugi said smiling and then winking conspiratorially at the magician. "Yugi, while Mahaad might be tall he doesn't look very muscular." Yugi opened his mouth to reply but was a bit taken aback when he heard Yami's mirth from his soul room. /He's stronger than you think./ Mahaad didn't say anything in his own defense but just stared stoically ahead, just like he would have on the dueling field, Yugi noted. "But you need more than pure strength to win a fight mom," Yugi reminded her. "I still would've felt better if you had taken Joey and Tristan," she commented before leaving the room.

"I'll be in the room if anyone needs me," Mahaad said softly retreating from the room, his gaze fixed on the floor. Yugi made a move to go after him but his dad roped him with questions about their outing. Meanwhile Mahaad opened the door and slipped inside and after sitting in a chair stuck up his classic meditative pose. He felt the Pharaoh's summon and reacted, bowing low before his king within the safety of Yami's soul room. "Arise, my friend." Mahaad slowly rose to his feet but kept his gaze trained on the floor. "Permission to speak, my Pharaoh?" Yami resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, tell me. What is on your mind?" The Pharaoh took a seat on the edge of his bed and waited.

"Are you and Master Yugi ashamed of me?" He asked bracing himself for the worst. "No, of course not. Why would you even think that?" he broke off and Mahaad was sure Yugi was telling him what had just happened. Yami stopped and waited. "Master Yugi's mom is right. I am not physically strong," he hung his head in self-disgust. "Mahaad you of all people should know that physical strength isn't everything. You had other abilities. But am I correct in assuming that this goes deeper than that comment?" The Mahaad I know wouldn't be shaken so easily, especially not after everything we've been through. Mahaad took a deep breath before responding. "Yes, it does my king. I am worthless like this," he clenched his fists. He flinched as he heard the bed squeak as his Pharaoh stood.

His boots clicked on the floor as he closed the space between them. The priest was surprised to feel the Pharaoh's hooked finger under his chin, as his king raised his head. Mahaad's blue eyes were filled with worry and for one of the first times the Pharaoh could recall, self-doubt. Mahaad drew his breath in sharply as the intensity of his Master's gaze unnerved him. Out of instinct he tried to avert his gaze, but was prevented from doing so by Yami's hooked finger. "You are not worthless, Mahaad. You have always been there by my side, even when I did not recognize you. You have saved my life more times than I can count."

Mahaad relaxed a bit at with the words of affirmation. "I just feel so lost in the modern world," he said with a bit more confidence. "I know it is hard. Come to me when problems like this arise and we'll get through them together." Mahaad broke into a grin, and Yami let his hand fall to his side. "Yes, my Pharaoh."

"And Mahaad, as your Pharaoh I believe it is up to me to pass judgment like that not you. And I'm not going to."

"Yes Pharaoh," he bent forward at the waist into a bow. "May I be excused? I must prepare for Master Yugi's lesson."

"Yes, but Mahaad, don't push yourself too hard." He nodded before disappearing in a swirl of purple mist.

The next day came faster than Mahaad would have liked. Nevertheless he out of bed. As everyone assembled for breakfast they discussed their plans for the day. Yugi, still in his Dark Magician PJs entered the room with a yawn. "Mahaad and I are going out to see the Met, this afternoon. And—" he was cut off by his Hiroshi. "I am going to be very blunt about this Yugi. Are you dating each other?" Mahaad made an indignant sound and Yugi turned redder than Mahaad had ever seen him. "Absolutely not!" Mahaad said defensively. "I am just—"

"—my friend," Yugi cut in, heeding Yami's hunch that Mahaad might have said something slightly incriminating. "Mahaad wants to see the Met so I offered to go with him and I know the rest of you would be bored," Yugi said with an edge to his voice. "Come on, Mahaad, we're leaving." Mahaad stood and followed his Master out into the hall.

Yugi led the way to his room, where the made the priest face the wall as he changed. There was a knock at the door. "Yug! We want to go too!" Joey pounded on the door again. "Let them in." Mahaad opened the door and Joey and Tristan practically fell into the room. "We want to go too," Tristan repeated. Both of them eyed Mahaad with caution, knowing that he could hurt them pretty bad. "I know guys, but we needed a diversion. We have to meet with the magicians again today."

"But don't forget Dr. Hawkins is meeting us for lunch today." Yugi resisted the urge to face palm. "What about this morning?" Both grimaced.

"Shopping."

"Let's get it over with. Come on Mahaad."

((You're not going to like this.))

(Why?)

((They are even worse than Mana in the markets of Thebes.))

Mahaad paled at that. It was going to be a long morning. Mahaad was beginning to understand the horrors of shopping by the time they entered their seventh store. Mahaad was laden with several bags that Yumi had asked him to carry. Yugi was carrying his own load of bags as well. The boys all sat down on the benches while Tea and Yumi entered yet another store.

Author's Notes:

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Rescue and the Dallas Museum

Mahaad's eyes widened as he got the unmistakable feeling of someone trying to contact him. He rushed to the entrance of the nearby alley and pulled his scrying bowl from the Shadow Realm. He poured olive oil in the copper bowl and said a spell waving his hand over the oil.

"Hello?" he called. The oil shifted to reveal the face of the Celtic Guardian. "Hi Mahaad. I have some bad news." His friend had spoken in Egyptian and Mahaad answered in the ancient tongue without skipping a beat. "What is it?" he asked tersely. Karim knew better than to joke around at a time like this. "Mana's been kidnapped."

"What?!" he demanded, causing the random passerby to stare. "Yes, she and her friend the Mystical Elf went outside the walls to gather herbs Mystic came back several hours ago, but she is in a coma of sorts. We have to wait until she awakens before we will know more." Mahaad clenched his teeth unconsciously as if he were in a duel. "I'll inform the Masters. Let me know when anything changes."

"Alright."

The oil faded to black and Mahaad rejoined the others. Everyone was looking at him with concern. "What happened?" Yugi asked. "Mana has been kidnapped." Yugi's eyes became wide with horror. Joey rubbed the back of his head. "That name sounds really familiar," he began. "We met her in the world of the Pharaoh's memory, remember? She called herself, 'Mahaad's top student.' She became the Dark Magician Girl," Yugi explained. "Do you know who kidnapped her?" Yugi asked the concern evident in his voice. The magician shook his head. "But I intend to find out," he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Yugi closed his eyes but when he opened them Yami took over. "Let's go," he said in his usual confident tone. Yami opened a portal to the Shadow Realm in the adjacent alley. "Wait, what are we going to tell the girls?" Tristan asked, alarmed. "I'm sure you'll think of something," the Pharaoh replied without looking back. Their friends' well wishes were cut short as the two of them stepped through to the Shadows. Mahaad's street clothes shimmered into the robes of his former _ka_ beast the Dark Magician. "This way," Mahaad said leading the way toward the town. "Knowing Karim, he would follow standard protocol, which means Mystic will be at his house,' Mahaad said by way of explanation, more for himself than for the Pharaoh. Their presence created no small stir among the Duel Monsters of the Pharaoh's Deck.

Various monsters pointed them out to one another. It wasn't every day that the Pharaoh himself came to visit. Kuriboh cooed at them, floating alongside Yami, she was too intimidated by Mahaad at the moment. The Pharaoh reached out and petted her, as she looked sad. "Don't worry Kuriboh, we'll get Mana back," he vowed. She nodded and flew away. It didn't take them long to reach Karim's manor. Mahaad pounded on the door and waited. He wasn't surprised to see Weni at the door, Karim at his side. He dismissed his butler, and invited the two of them inside.

The Pharaoh waved off Karim's bow and entered first, Mahaad not too far behind. Karim led the way to his guest room and opened the door allowing them to slip past him to get inside. As Mahaad entered the room Karim noted the worry but also determination that Mahaad's demeanor conveyed. He expected no less, Mana was Mahaad's apprentice after all. Mystic was lying on the bed in front of them, her eyes closed and her hands were resting at her sides peacefully. Her blond hair hung limply around her face. The Pharaoh hated to disturb her, but there was an urgent feeling in the air, to find Mana. He took her by the hand and spoke a command, a divine word, " _Senhes_!" _Awake_. Mystic's eyes snapped opened at the authoritative utterance, it was an order she couldn't disobey.

She turned her head and was a bit taken aback to see the Pharaoh himself standing over her. She gasped in shock. She also noticed Mahaad was at his king's side dressed in the robes of the Dark Magician. Mystic's face fell, remembering what she had just gone through. "What happened?" The Pharaoh asked in his no nonsense tone. Mystic explained that the two of them had left the boundary walls for a bit to gather herbal berries and she had turned her back on Mana to grab some berries from a bush a few feet away and she heard Mana's high pitched scream. She had whirled around in horror, dropping her basket in alarm, spilling fresh berries all over the ground.

A tall man in red armor stood over Mana and held her by the throat, with one hand and gripped a staff like Mahaad's in the other. He turned to see Mystic since Mana had shouted her name in panic. The white haired man regarded her and ignited the end of his staff and Mystic's vision faded to black, her last memory before blacking out was a steak of red light coming toward her.

Karim had returned and listened to her story from the doorway. The Pharaoh nodded gravely as she finished. "Get some rest," he advised standing. He led the rest of them out of the room so they could talk openly without disturbing her. "Mahaad, who do you think might have taken her?" The Pharaoh questioned after they were out of earshot. Mahaad sighed, "I, being your favorite monster have many enemies; however, I have a very good idea who has taken her," Mahaad replied, looking at his friend. "You do?" The Pharaoh blinked in surprise. Yami could feel Yugi's surprise as well from the depths of the Puzzle. /Who would want to harm the Dark magician Girl?/ Yami detected the worry in his lighter half's voice. He sent a wave of reassurance down the link. /Mahaad said he is pretty sure he knows who is behind this. We'll find her./ Yugi felt better as he remembered the brown haired girl, Mana interacting and teasing them in the world of Memory.

"I believe it was Ahmed," Karim who had been standing next to Mahaad gritted his teeth in response to the name. Mahaad continued as he knew the Pharaoh didn't know him, at least by that name. "He is Arkana's Dark Magician," Mahaad elaborated. Both Yami and Yugi started at that revelation.

"What?!" Yami cried along with Yugi, even Yugi couldn't be heard by anyone else at the moment. Now Yami and Yugi understood why Ahmed wanted to kidnap Mana so badly. /Mana took him out in our duel with Arcana./ The Pharaoh nodded in response. Yami drew himself up to full height. "Let's go. We're wasting time here." Mahaad and Karim exchanged glances. "I fear it might be too dangerous for you my king," Mahaad whispered in his best advisor voice. The Pharaoh humored him with a smile. "I appreciate your concern Mahaad. But I am coming with you."

The two priests made no further protests. The three of them set out to the place where Mystic described her encounter with Arkana's Dark Magician. Mahaad and Karim looked solemn as they led the way outside the city gates. Even though Yami walked behind them, he still drew quite a bit of attention that the two priests had to diffuse. Minutes later than they planned, they arrived at the red berry bushes that the two girls had been at previously. Wordlessly, the three of them spread out looking for clues. Mahaad picked his way through the bushes trying to locate Ahmed's magical signature.

It took him several minutes before Mahaad found it. He stooped down next to a bush and touched it. Ahmed's magic clung to the bush like a spider web. Mahaad grasped it and manipulated it so he could use it to track the other Dark Magician. As soon as Mahaad stood the Pharaoh raised an eyebrow from where he had been crouched near another bush. He too stood. "Did you find something?"" the Pharaoh asked. "Yes, I have picked up traces of Ahmed's magic," he pointed to the north, "—it leads that way."

Karim quickly moved to his fellow priest's side. The Pharaoh did as well. Karim frowned slightly at the direction Mahaad had indicated. "You know what lies in that direction." It wasn't a question but rather a statement of fact. Mahaad nodded. "Dur-Sharrukin." Yami looked at both of them quizzically, as he was unfamiliar with internal Shadow Realm matters. "It houses Arkana's deck." Karim explained, looking at Yami. As Mahaad led the way he had the fleeting thought to try and dissuade the Pharaoh from accompanying them, but decided against it. The landscape didn't change as they moved forward toward the 'north'. /Where are we? Is Mahaad sure we're going in the right direction? We haven't passed anything different for the last ten minutes./ Yugi indicated the swirling purple mist that surrounded them on every side. Yami chuckled darkly through their link. /Don't worry Yugi. We'll be fine./ They both knew Yugi was really worried about Mana.

Out of the purple mist a large wall emerged. The Pharaoh could see a large gate that was flanked by two hybrid creatures, made of stone. He was curious as to what they were but since it was the Shadow Realm, he wasn't sure if the statues would remain dormant. Mahaad acknowledged the statues by veering course, so they approached from the eastern wall. They stopped right below the wall that now towered over them. Yami furrowed his brow in though, how where they going to scale a thirty foot wall. Mahaad could fly but how would he and Karim get up there? "Karim, obviously we need to keep the Pharaoh safe and concealed—" Mahaad's voice broke the king's concentration. /Keep me concealed/ He's the one wearing a foot tall helmet!/ Yugi laughed in response. "—do you have the rope?" Mahaad finished. Karim took his satchel off his shoulder and removed a grappling hook. Yugi watched from his soul room in fascination as Karim swung it several times before releasing it. The claw sailed through the air and grabbed the wall. He tugged on it to make sure it was secure.

Karim readjusted his satchel and climbed up the rope, and waited for the rest of them at the top. Mahaad indicated that Yami should go next. When it was Mahaad's turn they both helped him at the end. The three of them crouched low, to avoid being seen. Mahaad muttered a spell to change all of their appearances to that of common _awliu_ or freemen. They were now bald and dressed in plain tan tunics. "Where do you think Mana is?" The Pharaoh whispered to Mahaad. Mahaad surveyed their location. The rest of Arkana's deck was spread out before them. There was a market, houses and a temple, with a ziggurat. The most important building for them was the palace that was directly below them. Karim meanwhile had hoisted up the rope and reattached it to the other side of the wall.

"Mana is most likely located in the palace dungeons on the southeastern corner," Mahaad replied. "How do you know where the keep their prisoners?" Yami asked curiously. Mahaad closed his eyes he really didn't want to give the answer. "I've been there before." Mahaad winced as the Pharaoh's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in suspicion. He then said something Mahaad would have been happy to avoid. "We'll discuss that later." Karim broke the tension by leading the way down the rope. Soon they were all safe on the inside of the walls of Dur-Sharrukin.

They rounded a corner and spotted two guards posted by the entrance. "Act normal," Karim advised, detaching himself from the wall and walking within the guard's line of sight. The Pharaoh shrugged and the two of them joined Karim. "What is your business in the palace?" one of them asked in a bored voice. He had clearly been on duty for a long time and hadn't seen anything interesting. "We want to pay our respects to the great _lugal_ , or king," Karim said evenly, "—and present him with this." Karim reached into his satchel and withdrew a gold chain with blue lapis lazuli. The guards let them pass, after giving them instructions on how to get to the throne room.

The palace walls were lined with reliefs from the famous battles, especially the Assyrian siege of Lachish. The Pharaoh was bit revolted at the blatant scenes of carnage that surrounded them, etched in the very walls. He shuddered and tried to ignore them, for his light's sake. Mahaad led the way and veered off in to a different hallway. There were more guards in this hall and they didn't look like they were going to fall for Karim's chain or for the excuse that their party had wandered down the wrong hallway.

These two guards looked more alert than the last ones and glared at them as they approached. As soon as the guard opened his mouth Karim moved. He stopped to the side and plunged a hidden dagger from his belt into the space in the guard's armor. He soon disintegrated and Mahaad had dealt with his companion at the same time by shooting him with an arrow. He too vanished. Yami made a mental note to ask Mahaad where they went later. With the two guards out of the way, all they had left was the door. This time Mahaad acted first. His teal staff materialized into his hand and he fired a Dark Magic Attack at it. The door shook and fell inwards, crashing to the floor and sent up a cloud of dust. Mahaad entered the room and found Mana lying on her back, with cuts and bruises all over her. She was currently asleep. Yami mused on how Mana could have slept through the door hitting the ground, but now they had bigger problems. Several seconds had passed and there were shouts in Assyrian, they were running out of time. Yami made a split second decision and summoned his Curse of Dragon.

"This way!" he called, after honing in on the dragon's location. They cut down a different hall just as several Assyrian soldiers spotted them. The one in front threw a javelin at them, which luckily missed and got stuck in the wall. The rest of them began shooting arrows at them. Yami had adrenalin in his system now the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. At long last they reached the outer door and potted Curse of Dragon not too far away, waiting for them on the ground. The three of them climbed on his back, while several more Assyrians pelted projectiles at them. One arrow graze Karim's arm and he gasped in pain, almost losing his balance and falling off. Mahaad pulled him the other direction. He nodded gratefully to his comrade.

Mahaad had placed Mana in front of him, behind the Pharaoh. Karim directed the golden dragon to land in his courtyard. Weni, his butler, came running from inside the manor and helped them inside. Mahaad gently carried Mana in his arms this time and took into another guest room and laid her down on the bed. Yami eyed her with concern "Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Karim shook his head, while Mahaad cracked a rare smile. "Mana is in a magically induced coma. She'll wake up in a few days," he turned to the Pharaoh. "—we should probably head back to the mortal realm, or we will be missed," he said. Karim reassured both of them that he would watch her and alter them to any change in her condition. With this reassurance Yami and Mahaad stopped outside and Yami raised a hand, opening a swirling purple vortex into the modern world.

The two of them emerged from the same alley they had entered earlier. The sun was higher in the sky. As they left the alley Yugi who had taken over, pulled his phone out of his jacket and was slightly alarmed to see that it was already 11 o'clock. The bench that Joey and Tristan had been sitting at was vacant and they only had half an hour to find their friends, come up with an excuse as to where they had been for the last few hours and meet the Hawkins for lunch. Yugi called Joey to find out where he was. The blond answered on the second ring. "Hiya Yug'. How was the museum?" he asked. /That was supposed to be this afternoon. That is a good cover up. Mahaad will be disappointed but we'll have other days to see the Met./ After chatting for a few minutes Joey said they were several blocks away dropping all of their bags from the shopping trip off at the hotel. "We'll meet you and Dr. Hawkins for lunch." A few minutes later Yugi hung up. He turned to face Mahaad, who had been stoically staring off into space. "Our cover up is that we already went to the Met." Mahaad looked crestfallen at that. "But we'll go another time. Maybe Dr. Hawkins will take us," Yugi suggested. "Yes, my Prince." Yugi blushed slightly at that. They hailed a cab to take them to the restaurant they were meeting at. To Yugi's dismay his parents had beaten them there and they were already talking with Dr. Hawkins as Mahaad and Yugi got out of the cab.

Yugi's uncle eyed them with suspicion. Arthur smiled when he spotted the spiky haired duelist. "Yugi! How are you?" he asked. The teen smiled. "I'm well"

"Who is this? I see you've made a new friend," the archaeologist remarked. "No, Mahaad and I have been friends for awhile professor." There was a challenging glint in the teen's eye that hinted at a deeper meaning behind his words, but it wasn't the time to investigate them. Arthur led them inside to their table, where they waited for the others. Arthur told them he wanted to show them something. "It is in the Met, Even though your parents said you went this morning, you won't mind if I show you around will you?" Arthur asked Yugi who shook his head. "Not at all professor. We'd be honored to have you show us around." Yugi's aunt and uncle tried to hide their annoyance about being dragged to a museum.

They were spared any follow up discussion by the arrival of Joey and Tristan. Before they knew it they had eaten a hearty Italian lunch and were on their way to the met. Arthur smiled as he led them inside.

"Being here reminds me, Dr. Kane was opposed to present a paper at the annual Book of the Dead Conference in Germany, not too long ago, but he didn't show up. No one has heard from him since." Yugi traded worried glances with Mahaad, in their line of work a missing Egyptologist wasn't a good omen. He led them along until they reached the Egyptian wing of the museum. He stopped them at the entrance to point out a stela. "This is the Mentuwoser stela." /You and Mahaad helped me translate it!/ Yami phased out of the Puzzle to get a better look at the offering stela.

Arthur then swept them into the rest of the wing. Mahaad noticed a coffin along the left wall and instead of reading the card next to it he read the worn inscription on the coffin itself. He frowned slightly the Egyptian was a bit more…jarring than he was used to, not as bad as the atrocious heretic, but still. It was older than he was. He stood in silent contemplation. He was so deep in his musing that he failed to notice someone come up behind him until he felt a light tap on his shoulder. It was Arthur Hawkins. "I see you've found the mummy of Djehutynakht," the archaeologist stated. Mahaad nodded absent-mindedly, staring at the remains with a distant look in his eyes. Hiroshi came up behind them. "How do you know his name?" he asked peering at the card next to the display case closely. "There is no name written here." Dr. Hawkins shrugged and pointed to a worn cartouche on the lid.

Mahaad drifted in a daze close to where Yugi was standing to examine a display case of 18th Dynasty weapons and a chariot. Yami materialized not too far away. Mahaad reached up and touched the glass longingly. He and his guardsmen had wielded such weapons in life and now they were worn with age. He shifted his gaze to the chariot and he could almost hear the sounds of the ancient battlefield. He missed racing across the desert in his chariot. He sighed heavily, because of his vow he might never get the chance to ride again. He didn't know how long he stood there. "Mahaad," Yugi's melodic voice broke into his thoughts pulling him back to the present.

"Yes?" he asked, slowly lowering his hand from the glass. "It's time to leave." Mahaad mutely followed the shorter teen casting a final longing glance at the chariot before leaving the room. Mahaad's pensive mood wasn't lost on the observant pharaoh who was determined to do something about it. Tristan hung back with Mahaad and asked him a few questions to get him talking. Yami knew the priest well enough to that while Mahaad politely answered the brunette's questions his mind was still longing for the familiarity of Egypt.

It was a good thing Mahaad was in the back of the group as they toured New York because a papyrus letter suddenly materialized in front of him. His eyes widened slightly and he silently slipped it into his messenger bag. The letter was forgotten until after dinner. They had some down time in their hotel. Mahaad went into the room he shared with the other boys and opened it.

He sighed with relief that he read it when he did because it was very time sensitive. "What's that?" Tristan asked. "A letter from the magicians we met yesterday." This caught everyone's interest and Yugi who had been shuffling his Deck set his cards down on the table to listen. Mahaad was aware that he had all eyes on him. "The Kanes want us to meet them tonight because they are going to try and save a very important copy of _The Book of Overthrowing Apophis_." Mahaad reported. "When are they leaving and where are they going?" Yugi asked. "Dallas, Texas at ten o'clock tonight."

"Why were these copies singled out? There are many copies of the book." Yami asked. Mahaad shrugged. "It didn't say,"

The others filed out of the room to start watching a movie. Mahaad was about to follow suit when Yami stopped him. "Mahaad, we need to talk. I know this is going to be hard for you, but you cannot address me as your master, king or pharaoh in front of the Kanes," The Pharaoh's penetrating gaze searched Mahaad's face for his reaction. Mahaad's widened in shock. "I—I— ," he began trying to form his thoughts into words. Yami held up his hand silencing him. "I know it goes against everything we were ever taught about kingship and the duties of Pharaoh. Rest assured, I will take the throne, but not yet. There are too many factions within the House of Life already. The magicians will not follow me, yet. Asserting my claim on the throne now would further divide them. I need the gods' sanction to rule," the Pharaoh stated. "Speak," Yami commanded. Mahaad flushed a bit.

"If that if your will, my Pharaoh, I must obey," Mahaad looked quite disturbed by the fact still. He recoiled as Yami put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. You always have been my most loyal servant and I thank you for that."

They tried to act as normal as possible for the rest of the night. Yugi even convinced Mahaad to join everyone in watching _Spartacus_. At 9:30 the boys said that they were going to go to bed, and left for their room.

At 9:40 Mahaad and Yugi quietly rose and gathered some basic supplied and slipped outside. They were guided by Khonsu's light as they made their way to the bank of the East River. Unbeknownst to them, Yumi and Hiroshi had gone to their room to check on Yugi and found to their horror that he and Mahaad were gone. "Did you hear or see anything?" She rounded on Tristan and Joey who denied knowing anything.

The duo in question arrived at the Kane's headquarters with five minutes to spare. The giant stone block raised upward revealing Carter and Sadie in combat gear with several of their trainees in tow. The appointed members of the expedition followed Carter out to the balcony where he had a griffin attached to a reed boat. He ushered everyone on and the griffin took off. Sadie explained that Carter had named him Freak and Mahaad gave silent prayer to gratitude to Horus that he had been give a normal sounding name of the Dark Magician. Sadie explained the other attacks on others nomes around the world. "They've attacked Chicago and Toronto." Yami frowned in displeasure. "Both of them have large Egyptian collections," he noted. Mahaad nodded absently lost in thought. Carter had briefly explained the plan back at the Brooklyn House. Mahaad hoped they arrived in time. All of the sudden he felt his breath catch as the eerily familiar mist of the Shadow Realm rose around them. Mahaad instinctively looked at Pharaoh who looked as confused as he was. The Puzzle wasn't glowing. Before they could say anything a demon's hand reached out and tired to snatch Carter off the boat. "Pharaoh!" it cried. Mahaad reacted and blasted it with a Dark Magic Attack. He was rewarded with a smile from the Pharaoh as well as thumbs up. And just as it had arrived the mist faded around them and they found themselves flying towards a garden party.

Walt led the others to the museum while Carter and Sadie headed to talk to the magicians at the party. Walt quickly found the amulets they were selling to tourists and examined them checking them for fakes. Eventually everyone else got bored waiting for Carter and Sadie to return. No one else except Mahaad and Yami noticed Carter and Sadie return with a large man wearing a cowboy hat and a belt with a star on it, in addition to his jeans and plaid shirt. When Carter cleared his throat everyone else looked embarrassed. Felix's penguins tried to hide behind him. The Texan didn't look very impressed, with his fingers in his belt loops. "This is your team?" he asked. "Sorry, we were bored," Walt admitted. Walt scratched his head nervously and Khufu decided to help him find bugs in his hair. The Texan didn't look pleased. "Nice to meet you,:" he said gruffly. "Follow me," he instructed.

The assembled group followed him out of the gift shop and down a hall. They soon encountered two men who were on guard duty holding leopards on chains. Their eyes were glowing. The Pharaoh gave Mahaad a pointed look. "They can see into the _Duat_ that way," Mahaad informed his king in Japanese. "We only have ten minutes," Carter explained as the Texan led them deeper into the museum. They encountered the Tut banner inside the museum accompanied by two more guards.

They were led past them and on into the second room, where the entrance was guarded by two criosphinxes. "This room has more spells on it than the others. I have to modify them to let you pass," JD told him as he began chanting. "Sadie looked at Walt who was staring intently at the throne of Tut looking like he was going to throw up. "Tut died in this chair," he said his face white with horror. That brought Mahaad head around and he narrowed his eyes at Walt in suspicion. The Pharaoh again looked at Mahaad for an explanation. /I thought Mahaad said earlier that Tut died in a hunting accident?/

/Me too./

"Now is not the time Pha—Yugi," Mahaad finished as Yami gave him a scathing look. Their conversation was cut short by Carter pointing out _The Book of Overthrowing Apophis_.

"Why do you need this one? There have been thousands made over the centuries—?" JD began but Sadie interrupted him. "Yeah, we know that. But Apophis has only been destroying ones made by Setne." JD blanched and Mahaad inhaled sharply and tensed, balling his hands into fists. Yami just gritted his teeth. Yugi sent worry down their bond as he too understood that Setne was evil. JD indicated the scroll. Carter looked at Khufu and then said, "Sadie, can you read it or not? We need to hurry!' Sadie rolled her eyes and walked over and began inspecting the charred scroll. After a few tense minutes she turned and shook her head. "It doesn't make sense, yet. We'll to take it with us—" then the whole building shook. The Texan turned white as a sheet when there was an explosion outside. "The party!" he screamed.

He turned to face them. "Take the scroll!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran to find his wife Annie. "I think I will destroy you with the guardians of Ma'at. Yes, that would be fun!" A new dry raspy voice cut in. At the sound of it everyone was wobbly on their feet. Mahaad clutched his stomach as if he was going to be sick his eyes wide with horror and for one of the first times the Pharaoh recalled a trace of fear. The Pharaoh didn't have much time to contemplate the situation, because the two obsidian criosphinx guardians sprang to life and began moving toward them.

Their growls drew Mahaad's head up and he was startled to see two very muscular horses with blue skin, and human looking torsos sticking out of them, and topped with a ram's head. Mahaad not only recognized the monster but out of long unconscious habit automatically thought of its attack and defensive points (1200/2400). The Pharaoh remained calm and stared definitely at the monster.

One of them moved toward the Pharaoh, which shook Mahaad out of his stupor. Mahaad glared coldly at the sphinx and summoned his trademark teal staff. The sphinx saw it out of the corner of its eye and suddenly shifted and leaped at Mahaad who narrowly avoided it by jumping out of the way. His blue eyes flashed dangerously. Mahaad aimed his staff and hit the sphinx with a Dark Magic Attack. The sphinx was engulfed the green light and disintegrated into a thousand pieces before disappearing.

Everyone was knocked to the floor by a second tremor. The ground acted as if it were a snake or angry waves of water. Mahaad recovered quickly and floated several inches above the floor, griping his staff tightly. The floor snake was destroying everything in its path to get to the back of the room. "Scroll!" Sadie shouted. Carter was still sitting on the floor with Khufu on top of him. The remaining sphinx took the liberty of turning Felix's penguins back to water. Felix started at them in shock. Walt ran to the sphinx to try and touch it. Alyssa was on the ground trying not to throw up. The Pharaoh stood and quickly surveyed his surroundings. Mahaad heard Sadie and dove for the scroll as the Pharaoh shouted, "Mahaad! Get it!" But Mahaad fell short of the scroll and it burned to ashes in front of him.

In his shock Mahaad stayed there too stunned to move. The remaining sphinx rounded on him. Mahaad looked up too late as the sphinx raised a paw to swipe at him. Mahaad saw a spiky blur to his left and felt a body collide with his own. When his brain put the pieces together, guilt washed over him. He also felt a dull pain in his left leg where the claw had grazed him. "Are you alright, my-" Yami cut him off a sharp look, "—Yugi?" he finished meekly. "Yes, I am fine." Mahaad looked away. "We'll find another way without the scroll."

As Apophis made his way to the other end of the room Sadie yelled, "Save the box!" If anyone thought that was random no one said anything. Carter stood up and ran towards it. "Walt Stone, even if you survive tonight the sickness will kill you before you can live to see the world consumed by chaos!" Apophis said. Alyssa barked a command word and threw her staff to the ground. The floor stabilized for a moment. The sphinx was flattened by a camel, a full sized camel. Mahaad looked at Walt for an explanation and he was smiling in satisfaction. Khufu had seized the box and ran away. Red streaks of magic went around the room and more artifacts came to life. An Anubis statue picked Khufu up by the tail. Walt restrained the sphinx with another amulet and then touched it and it crumbled to gray dust. The room was falling apart. "Stupid scribes!" Mahaad yelled. "They drew the heads on the animals!"

"Ma'at!" Sadie cried and summoned the most powerful spell she could cast order itself. It helped keep the room together. She promptly passed out and then as Carter ran up to her, her heart stopped. She was dead for a whole two minutes before she came around. "Sadie, you're alive!" Carter exclaimed. Sadie's bandaged hand quickly dropped Khufu's hand she'd been holding. Carter hugged her and helped her to her feet. Now all of them noticed the eerie silence, the lack of commotion outside. "The party!" Carter said in alarm and she and Walt helped Sadie across the room. When they exited the building Mahaad's face turned white.

There was a huge crater where the patio had been.

Without even thinking the Pharaoh stepped forward. "Search for survivors!' he ordered. Mahaad limped to obey and hobbled toward the hole. The boys left Sadie with Alyssa and Khufu as they joined in the frantic search. Things looked grim as they found the lone star buckle that JD had been wearing, alongside broken wands and charred bits of papyrus, somehow they all knew there were no survivors. There was a large hieroglyph taunting them in the center of the crater— _isfet_.

Still reeling from their battle they climbed on their reed boat and headed for Brooklyn. When they arrived Carter dismissed the younger trainees who followed Alyssa to bed. Some of the littlest children were still up and had drawn pictures of Apophis being stabbed by knives. Julian shepherded them to bed as well.

Bast stepped out of the shadows to join to remaining students. She gave Carter and Sadie hugs and inspected them to make sure they didn't' have any injuries. She looked suspiciously at Sadie's bandaged hand. She also hugged Walt and made sure he was alright. "Who are you/' she asked the two newcomers. Mahaad seemed more nervous than usual. "I am Mahaad and this is Yugi," he said nervously giving a small bow. She nodded. "Nice to meet you, I'm Bast." Yami's eyes widened in shock. /The goddess?/

/I think so Yugi./

Sadie looked everyone over. "You all need to go to bed. We can discuss this in the morning. "Bast hissed. "No. Meet in the library. We'll take a look at the box then go to bed." They entered the library and Walt set the box on the table and they sat in surrounding chairs. "It's empty." Sadie said opening it and peering inside. "No, it is a box for containing shadows an element of one's soul. Usually they were placed far away from the body to protect them. One of the priests must've placed it in Tut's tomb as a sick joke." Bast said. "Speaking of shadows…" Sadie told them about her encounter with Uncle Vinne, and her vision of Isis and her mom. They were left to puzzle over why Uncle Vinne thought shadow boxes were related to Apophis. They didn't get any other ideas other than to speak with Thoth the following day.

Then finally they could go to bed. The Kane's being gracious hosts offered to let Yami and Mahaad stay but Yami politely declined telling them that they would be missed. They promised to return as soon as they were able. The two of them left the warm inviting mansion and headed out into the city that never sleeps. Yami noted that Mahaad was still limping. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned. Mahaad gritted his teeth. "Yes, my king." The Pharaoh knew he was still in pain but decided not to press the issue. They were both exhausted. They walked in silence. Upon arrival at their hotel Yami almost relinquished control to his host. They were almost free. It was nearly 3:30 in the morning. Yami opened the door to his room and was about to wave to Mahaad, when a voice startled him and made his blood run cold.

"There you are!" Yumi hissed as she emerged from the shadows and stepped into the hallway, causing the bleary eye Pharaoh to stagger backward. "Where have you two been?! You're been gone for hours!" she snarled. Mahaad moved to stand beside the Pharaoh. When neither of them answered fast enough she attacked again. "I know you two are up to something. This is all the proof I need. You snuck off so you could be alone!" Mahaad looked at Yami because he didn't understand some of the words she was using. The Pharaoh shook his head. "It is not like that at all. Mahaad and I just had some things we needed to do," he said with an air of finality. He brushed past her and collapsed on the bed even before kicking his shoes off. Mahaad entered the other room quickly, not wanting to be left alone with her.

Author's Notes:

YAY! My first review! Thank you EquusNanashi! I hope you found this chapter entertaining. I already have that planned out in a future chapter and I think you'll enjoy it!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Battle of the Millennium Chapter 7

Both Mahaad and Yami slept in late the next morning. The Pharaoh woke up and tested his range of motion. He found that he was stiffer than usual from the fight the night before. His legs were a bit sore as were his shoulders. /We're old!/ Yugi lamented to his darker half's chagrin. The Pharaoh slowly got up, crossing the room and knocked on Mahaad's door. There was no response. When he was sure no one was looking, he used Shadow magic to open the door. He spotted the magician's brown hair peeking out from under the white sheets. A smile graced his lips as he gently shook Mahaad. There was movement under the blanket as Mahaad uncovered his face and half heartedly swated as his would be attacker; his eyes fluttered for a moment before he opened them. Mahaad slowly sat up and inclined his head toward the Pharaoh while Yami rested a hand on his shoulder in response.

"I am sorry. I overslept," he said softly.

"Don't be. You used a lot of heka last night," the king responded firmly. "How is your leg?" Mahaad swung his leg over the edge of the bed and put weight on it and walked around a bit, wincing when he put his full weight on it; Yami silently left the room and returned with a first aid kit. "Sit," he instructed. Mahaad perched himself on the edge of the bed. The Pharaoh began wrapping the priest's leg in bandages, after he healed it with Shadow magic. "We're going to use this as our excuse to meet with the Kanes."

"Yes, Master."

The Pharaoh paused for a moment and turned his gaze to Mahaad. "I know you still feel guilty about last night," Mahaad didn't say anything as his king resumed bandaging his leg. Yami could feel Mahaad's tenseness as he braced himself for the potential discussion. "But that isn't what I want to talk about. You said that king Tut died in a hunting accident. Why does Walt seem to think he died on the throne, on display in Texas?" Yami caught Mahaad's gaze and held it. Mahaad swallowed and began his story.

"Prince Tut was one of your half brothers; a son of a minor queen. He had been hunting out in the desert when he fell off his chariot and sustained very serious injuries. When his companions brought him back to the palace, there was a very slim chance for his survival. It was at this same time that you ordered the court to cover up our reign and seemingly erase it from history. The construction of Akhet or Amarna as it is known today, was nearly complete. One of the corrupt priests of Ra, Aknadin saw Prince Tut as a vulnerable target."

"When Aknadin discovered our plans of replacing your name with Tut's he became furious. He stormed into the dying boy's chambers and cursed his descendents." Mahaad finished. The Pharaoh nodded slowly as the pieces fit together. "How could there be descendents if Tut's two children died and were buried with him?" Yugi asked phasing out of the Puzzle and looking at both of them curiously.

"Prince Tut's wife Ankhesanamun also carried the curse, because she was his sister." The Pharaoh secured the bandage and stood up. Mahaad subconsciously rose as well. "Let's grab something for breakfast quickly before we head out," Yami said as he headed for the door. Mahaad limped behind and they headed to breakfast.

Tristan was already seated and drinking some orange juice when the duo arrived. He waved at them and made his way over. "What happened to your leg?" he asked. "As we were walking last night, it got caught in a grate and got scrapped pretty bad." Mahaad lied, hoping that such a thing was at least possible. "That's our cover story for my aunt and uncle," Yugi replied taking over. "—we were really attacked by criosphinxes."

"I thought criosphinxes only have 1200 attack points—?" Joey chimed in, wiping some milk off his chin with the back of his hand. "It only grazed my leg," Mahaad defended himself as he fought to keep the heat from rising in his face.

They explained their plan to meet with the Kanes again, and before they knew it the time came to try it out. Yumi refused to let Yugi go off again and suggested Joey and Tristan take Mahaad to get medical attention. ((Go with them Mahaad. I'll sneak away.)) Mahaad obeyed and left with them. At the next opportunity, Yugi slipped away and melted into the crowd. /Good work Aibou./

/I'm only doing this because the world is in danger./ The two of them met up and headed for the Brooklyn House. They found that several things had already transpired in the few hours they had been apart from the Kanes. Carter and Sadie filled them in around the breakfast table about Carter's talk with Horus and Zia. "If the House is this divided it will never stand against the forces of chaos!" Yami exclaimed taking over and pounding his fist on the table. "Tell that to the rebels," Carter told of the propaganda Kwai was spreading. He was somewhat taken aback by the teen's sudden outburst, but didn't say anything.

Sadie led them to the library where they examined the box again. "Who put it in Tut's tomb?" Sadie asked the assembled group. "Probably a priest acting out of spite, against orders," Bast said darkly. The conversation progressed from shadow and shadow boxes, to the parts of the soul. Mahaad was reminded again, how the Pharaoh had more control over him and his actions than the lowest slave in all of Egypt, because he had told his king his _ren_. As soon as they broke for lunch, Yami remarked, "It is truly disturbing that the gods aren't more united. And that Lord Ra is senile." Mahaad nodded and looked down. "Lord Ra is our only hope. Even the other gods can't defeat the Serpent alone," Mahaad interjected. "I have something that may help," the Pharaoh said. Mahaad heard the unmistakable sound of Yami opening his Deck holster and examining his cards. Unseen by Mahaad, he paused briefly on the Dark Magician, before selecting the one he wanted and showed it to his friend. The Pharaoh smiled smugly as he showed the card to the magician, who gasped.

"The Wing Dragon of Ra!"

"Yes, it is after all, a part of Ra's soul." When they got together for lunch Carter began explaining Plan B.

Mahaad didn't like Plan B. While Carter talked, Mahaad gripped the sides of his chair so hard his knuckles turned white. The Pharaoh made a mental note to talk to him about it later. Sadie took this as the time to remind everyone that they had a school dance tonight. The Pharaoh was a bit more sympathetic than Mahaad, who scowled in discuss. The whole world was at stake and Sadie wanted to go to a party? Mahaad couldn't deny how similar this girl was to his own apprentice. His thoughts drifted to her. He still hadn't received an update on her condition from Karim.

"You two are coming, right?" Said asked. Mahaad looked a bit nervous as Yami replied, "Yes, that sounds fun." They were shown guest rooms where they could change. Mahaad's clothes shimmered for a moment and he changed into a black suit, white shirt and a royal blue tie to match. The door to his left opened revealing the Pharaoh in similar attire. As they descended the stairs, they passed Walt who looked exhausted and heard this door shut a moment later. /He looked like death./

/I know. We need to help them find a cure for what Aknadin did to his family./ the pain was evident in the Spirit's voice. This was the second time he had heard damaging words about his uncle from Mahaad's lips. The rest of the students were already assembled in the hall, and were chatting among themselves excitedly.

The group left the mansion and walked to the Brooklyn Academy for the Gifted, or as the magicians called it BAG. Mahaad was beginning to wonder if some of the gods' reluctance to help the magicians, and the House of Life was to teach these magicians something about respect. Mahaad watched as Sadie paired Carter off with one of her friends. Several of her friends gasped as a guy in black jeans, t shirt and dress shoes approached them. This time both Master and servant gasped as they recognized the guide of the dead, Anubis, in the form of a teenager. Sadie's friends stood off to the side as Anubis approached, staring at the newcomer in shock. "My lord," he whispered softly. Anubis turned to see Mahaad; Yami inclined his head. "Carry on priest. I have important matters to attend to," he said in Egyptian. He shifted his attention to Sadie and gave her his arm and escorted her away. Yami was asked to dance and left Mahaad alone. The priest walked to the side, where he preferred to be. After a few minutes passed he suddenly felt light headed and his brain registered that they were in danger. He spun around and spotted the Pharaoh. "Yugi!" he cried, as he felt the air being sucked out of his lungs and everything turning black. When he came around he bolted upright and looked around wildly. Mahaad relaxed a bit when he spotted Yugi's familiar hair not too far away. The Pharaoh rubbed his eyes and sat up, shaking his head, trying to make sense of what just happened. Some of the mystery was solved when Sadie walked over to them, her brother had been just a few feet from Yami. She was being followed by a 17 year-old Russian kid in a security guard uniform.

"We need to talk," Sadie said by way of explanation. She told about her encounter with Anubis and his information on Setne as well as the Russian magician. "We are going to have to split up," Carter said. "Agreed. I'll head to the Underworld to talk to Dad—" she began.

"—we're coming with you." Yami interjected, drawing himself to his full height and used his no nonsense tone. "—Ok. Carter, take Walt and go find out what Thoth knows." In the end they decided to let the Russian stay with them because he had risked his life to tell them about Sarah Jacobi and the danger she currently posed to the First Nome.

Sadie led Mahaad and Yami to a criosphinx freeze to use as a portal. Sadie chanted and opened a portal. Mahaad shook his head, Sadie was like Mana in that she didn't wait for the right moment to open portals either. When the three of them jumped through they soon found themselves free falling a hundred feet in the air above Cairo. Mahaad did an unusual thing for someone hurtling toward their death. He signed in resignation and stretched his hand out a muttering a command word that slowed them down. Even though Sadie wasn't his student, he could feel the beginnings of a lecture beginning to form in his mind. How could she be so necklaces? Sadie was oblivious to his thoughts as she led them into some ruins by the airport and down stairs and across a chasm on a stone bridge. Mahaad repressed a shudder. The training grounds he had led Bakura to, looked a lot like this. At the other side Sadie was challenged by a _ba_ and answered the question correctly, about Anubis' eyes. The Pharaoh stepped forward with his usual glint in his eye accompanied by his trademark smirk. "What is the entry level of the priesthood?" _Wab_ ," Yami moved to stand next to Sadie. The _ba_ that had been in the form of a human headed bird changed ton old short man that made Yami gasp. "Hail to you great king. You face great challenges ahead. Be careful." He had spoken softly enough Sadie didn't hear it.

Mahaad confronted the _ba_ next. The _ba_ Shimon smiled at him before asking, "Who is the oldest magician to be defied?" "Priest Imhotep." The _ba_ allowed Mahaad to pass as well. Mahaad looked around in shock at the few people milling about. Sadie led them to the Hall of Ages. It was a very long room with glowing lights and hieroglyphs floating around. Sadie cautioned them not to touch anything and said she had been absorbed in a memory once before in here. Mahaad preferred to think it wasn't going to end up like the Shadow Game RPG that they had to go through to get the Pharaoh's memories back. They passed through the age of the gods, the Old Kingdom, the chaos of the First Intermediate Period, the Middle and Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom. Mahaad paused to watch for a moment and saw brief flashes of the Pharaoh's reign as well as himself fighting as the Dark Magician at his king's side, in bronze colored light. Sadie grabbed his arm and pulled him along after her. "I told you not to stare!" she warned. Sadie suddenly stopped and saw a priest in front of an Apis bull and she gasped. "That's Uncle Vinne!" she exclaimed. "That's Khaemwaset," Yami remarked darkly, as they began walking again. Mahaad looked at Yami as they entered the Modern Age of purple and Yami too got glimpses of some of the many Shadow Games he played. "Where's Amos?" Sadie asked. "He should be sitting at the foot of the throne," Yami and Mahad traded glances. They were about to meet the new Chief Lector.

Sadie led them to a spot behind to dais where there was light shining through a crack near the floor. She opened the secret door to reveal a war room with two occupants. A man with dark skin, and braided hair leaned over a long table with a world map on it. Mahaad instantly noticed the leopard cape draped across his shoulder. The other person was an Egyptian girl with olive skin and black hair. She like the Lector wore cream colored robes. The two of them were quite engrossed in their work, directing troop on the map before them. "Uncle Amos!" Sadie cried. The man turned and gave the teen an affectionate hug. "And who are they?" he asked, taking note of Mahaad and Yami. "This is Yugi and Mahaad they helped us defeat a serpent a few days ago. They're really progressing with their magic."

"I'm sure you're a wonderful teacher," he praised. Zia scrutinized them. "Are you sure we can trust them? Why hasn't anyone noticed them before?"

Her questions were silenced by Amos raising a hand. "I apologize for her, but we do have to be careful. However—" He gave her a reproachful look. "—We do need all the help we can get." Yami found himself drawn to the map in front of him. He studied the pieces in front of him, with practiced calculation. He picked a piece without thinking about it and moved a ship from Hawaii to Japan. Zia saw the movement out of the corner of her eye. "Don't touch that!" she snapped. Amos whirled and found to his surprise that the spiky haired teen had actually made a very strategic move.

Carter contacted them by scrying and informed them that Leonoid had confirmed that Kwai and the other rebels were working for Apophis himself. Mahaad's expression changed to one of discust. "They have set up camp at Abu Simbel, they aim to attack the First Nome." Carter's words hung in the air, while everyone processed them. One the map several pieces sparked and melted near Spain, and a ship went down near Japan. Amos waved his hand over Abu Simbel and said he couldn't sense anything. When he focused back at Carter, Mahaad stretched out his hand over the same spot and closed his eyes and gave a shadow of a nod to the Pharaoh who was watching him earnestly.

Zia picked up a token of a falcon and it began steaming, as she tried to move it toward the southern border of Egypt and Nubia. "They have put powerful wards. We can't eavesdrop."

"But that confirms that they are there. And we _can_ do something about that," The Pharaoh said matter-of-factly. He had to remind himself that even though he would much prefer to stay here and direct things from afar, that he was needed in the front lines as his duty as Pharaoh required him to be. In the end, Amos told Zia to go with them and that they could leave at dawn after eating something. Sadie had decided she wanted to visit her friend Bes in the Fourth House and no one objected.

The next morning, Sadie called Carter using a shabti and they swapped stories again. The boys were back from visiting Thoth and they now understood that they had to rescue Setne from their father who just became the new host for Osiris. They were quite relieved to find out Thoth thought their plan would work, at least theoretically. Mahaad furrowed his brows together. If he didn't have the Pharaoh to protect, he would go help Thoth. He owed the god of knowledge a lot for helping him get used to things as a Duel Monster. As Sadie and Zia talked, Yami subtly withdrew Yugi's cell phone out of the pocket of his jacket and left the room. Mahaad followed behind, out of habit.

"Hi Ishizu, no it doesn't surprise me that you were just about to pick up the phone to call me." the Pharaoh went quiet as she spoke. "Yes, we know the Serpent is rising. I want you to put all of the Tomb Keepers on high alert. I still have the god cards and they will be safe with me. I'm coming to Egypt as soon as I can. Our newfound allies in the House of Life, are planning a trip to the Underworld," Yami listened as Ishizu expressed her concern. "I appreciate your concern, but I already have protection; Mahaad is with me," Much to the aforementioned priest's chagrin, he began blushing and he quickly turned away, but not before Yami had seen, and smirked in his direction. "The only other allies the Kanes have are in Vancouver and Brazil. Carter told us he wants all of his students to come to Egypt to fight the rebels. We better prepare as well. Alert the rest of the Item Holders as well, even Bakura." Mahaad whirled to face Yami in shock. "I know, but Ryou will want to help. Call me with any updates."

The line clicked and the Pharaoh pocketed the phone. The group followed Sadie to the ruins of a shrine to Isis, so she could summon a portal to the _Duat_. After a minute or two passed Sadie opened a portal that landed them in the lobby of the Fourth House. Mahaad looked around. "Where is everyone?" he asked. There were some IV poles in the corer but otherwise the place looked disserted. When they were about the plan their next move, Zia threw a fireball at the empty wheelchair. she flung a few more fireballs and hit the IV poles in the corner, setting them ablaze. "Zia!" Sadie cried in alarm and grabbed the other' girl's arm. "What is wrong with you?" Mahaad moved in front of Yugi shielding him form harm, while leveling Zia with a glare that could rival Kaiba's. "I'm sorry. I thought I had it under control," Zia's eyes returned to their normal color and she looked around the room in shock.

"Control?!" Mahaad snapped. "Has this been happening a lot?" he asked as his eyes narrowed. She stared at her feet. "Yes." She looked around the room and began talking about how lonely Ra must have been there. It was worrisome that Zia was starting to feel for the sun god and blacking out. Black outs were never a good sign. Sadie frowned; her eyes suddenly lit up in alarm, and she whirled to face Zia. "Uncle Amos hasn't been making deals with Set, has he?" she demanded. "Set isn't all bad. You need order and chaos to rule Egypt. Set was present at coronations as just as well as Horus," Yami interjected. Sadie either didn't hear or ignored the Pharaoh. "If the rebels find out?! We'll lose even more magicians!" W"Where is everone?" Sadee repeated Mahaad's earlier question. Zia indicated the lake of fire she had been observing, out the window.

"They are having a beach day." Their group went outside Mahaad was in shock seeing some of the gods in bathing suits, sprawled out on the beach. Fire gods were playing in the lake. The hippo goddess spotted Sadie and made her way over. "You're early and you brought friends!" she beamed. She didn't seem to like Zia much though. "The world will end," she looked at the helpless gods who surrounded her. "But they've been forgotten. They don't deserve a fate like that." Meanwhile, Mahaad observed his surroundings too. He inhaled sharply and moved toward the lava. The Pharaoh wondered what got the mage so excited, he rarely showed that much emotion. "It's Hot Foot," he breathed.

That shook the Pharaoh.

/He's on the tribunal, right?/

/Yes./ The Pharaoh's eyes flickered to the face of his young host. /If he is here that is a bad sign. It does not bode well for Ma'at./ While Zia went and tamed the fire gods, Sadie went with Tawaret to talk to Bes, Mahaad looked back at the nursing home and did a double take. He sprinted toward the building. "Mahaad!" the Pharaoh called sharply after him. He was concerned because it was so out of character for the magician. Mahaad tore through the lobby and down a hall to their right. Mahaad stopped at a door and knocked. He stepped back and waited for a response. "What—?!" Yami began but was cut off, when the voice within replied. "Enter," Mahaad obeyed opening the door and stepping into the room.

The Pharaoh followed behind. There was a lone figure, the lion headed god of war, sitting in a chair, angled slightly so he could see the room as well as the lake. He wore a linen kilt, and held a knife loosely in his left hand. To the Pharaoh's surprise Mahaad didn't just bow, he prostrated himself, his hands extended toward the god in worshipful praise. " _Neb_ Mahaaes!" he exclaimed. That clicked in the Pharaoh's brain. The Pharaoh knelt near his prostrate servant, adopting the bow the priests usually showed him.

"Arise," he said and they both obeyed. "Pharaoh it is good to see the Two Lands prosper under your reign." the Pharaoh dipped his head in acknowledgment. "It is because of the god's bounty and the loyalty of my subjects." the Pharaoh replied. "And You Mahaad, I am grateful for your devotion to me, it too, pleases me." Mahaad bowed deeply from the waist in gratitude. "T-Thank you, my Lord." The magician replied his brown locks falling forward.

The god chuckled lightly, as he rose from his chair. Mahaad raised his head slight at this. "Tell me, what brings the two of you to the House of Rest?" the feline headed god, looked out the window at the blazing lake of fire that lay before them, casting a red-orange glow across the god's face. "We are traveling to the Eighth House to see Lord Osiris, with the Kane siblings, to see Setne's trial," the smooth, confident tone of the Pharaoh answered him. Mahaaes hissed in response. "That will not be an easy task, even for you, Pharaoh. Lord Osiris wishes to be rid of Setne's …evil influence," the god's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to free him?"

The king shook his head. "Lord Mahaaes, we don't wish to free him—Ma'at must still be upheld. I know that from my own experience—" The brought Mahaad's head up to look at his king's face. The Pharaoh wore a forlorn expression that spoke of hurt and sadness. Even though he hadn't spoken to Mahaad about his feelings on the day, he betrayed his Monsters, the heart of the cards and most of all Yugi. "He will be tried to the fullest, but first he may have information that could aid us in destroying the Serpent."

The feline god slowly nodded, accepting the Pharaoh's explanation. "Good luck," Mahaaes turned to look at both of them. The Pharaoh took this as their cue to leave. He inclined his head again and turned to leave. "Come, Mahaad. We had better get going." Mahaad half turned to follow his king, who was looking at him expectantly. Mahaad inclined his head as well, "May I ask a question Lord Mahaaes?" Mahaad was slightly worried that he might incur the wrath of his patron, for delaying, when his Master had clearly indicated that they should leave. The god of war regarded him for a moment before giving his reply. "Is that alight with your Master the Pharaoh?" Hot shame crept into the magician's face at his presumptions idea.

He would apologize for his insolence later, for now, in the presence of a god, speaking out of turn would have been an even greater offense, and would have reflected poorly on his king. The god waited for one of them to speak. "M-Mas-ter Ph-pharaoh—" the king was taken aback by the quivering in his servant's voice but the priest swallowed, and continued on, " _Kanakht Tutmesut_ —The Strong Bull, pleasing of Birth, _Neferhepuseg-erehtawy Wearhamun Nebrdjer_ —One of Perfect laws who pacifies the Two Lands, Great of the Palace of Amun, Lord of all, _Wetjeskausehetepnetjeru Wetjeskhauitefre Wetjeskhautsestawyim_ —Who wears the crowns and pleases the gods; Ruler of Truth who pleases the gods; who wears the crowns of his father Re; who wears crowns, and binds the Two Lands therein, _Nebkhenperure_ —Lord of the forms of Re, _Hemet ren Hekauinushema_ —Nameless, ruler of Upper Heliopolis, may your servant be permitted to ask Lord Mahaaes a question before we depart?" The Pharaoh blinked for a moment before responding. Mahaad had just used all five of his names—that hadn't happened in millennia. He pushed that aside for now. "Yes, you may," he replied, formally.

Yugi phased out so he could see what was going on. /Did Mahaad just use all of your names? Did people always address you like that?/ Yami sent mirth down their bond. /Yes, he did. No it didn't happen very often, when people spoke to me that they used all five, it was usually saved for very formal communication./ Mahaad still kept his eyes on trained on the floor. "Thank you, my king," the magician's voice gained a bit of child-like innocence as he phrased his question, "Lord Mahaaes, why are you in the House of Rest?" The god gazed over the lake of fire, with a faraway look before he answered. "I wasn't lost or forgotten as many of my brethren here; in part because of your devotion, Mahaad. I know you were coming here and I wished to speak with you and your Master. Now, go. Lord Osiris is waiting." The two of them thanked the god again before leaving the godly nursing home to rejoin their friends.

Author's Notes:

Please review and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Battle of the Millennium Chapter 8: Revelations and Setne's Trial

Once Yami and Mahaad had rejoined the girls they asked how they were going to get to Setne's trial. As the four of them began speculating and throwing out ideas, a boat came sailing toward them with a familiar teen onboard. "Carter!" Sadie cried. Mahaad looked at the ship called the _Egyptian Queen_. He was shocked to see what appeared to be smoke coming from the rear of the ship and his first reaction was to alert everyone that there was a fire. Then he remembered that awhile ago things had been powered by steam, so there was no need for alarm. There was a demon standing next to Carter, on the prow of the ship, who had a blood stained blade instead of a head. To the Pharaoh's surprise, Mahaad narrowed his eyes. He thought he had seen this demon before, but wasn't sure. "He might have aided Bakura once," Mahaad hissed to the Pharaoh who raised an eyebrow in response. Yami also noted with satisfaction that Mahaad had refrained from saying vile things about Bakura because he, as Pharaoh, had set the precedent for it. Walt was there too.

Carter was wearing white Egyptian linens, good for practicing magic, as well as a _waresh_ collar. That didn't bode well, that kind of jewelry was reserved for the pharaoh himself. Carter was subtly hinting that he had already claimed the throne of Egypt for himself. The Pharaoh wore smile and didn't seem to notice the collar. He wore no shoes at all which meant that he was dressed for combat and he had a _khopesh_ at his side, ready at a moment's notice. That was the kind of weapon the king's personal guards had carried. He wore no shirt either and he was beginning to put some muscle on his lean frame.

Walt still looked like death. He was dressed in his usual black attire, and was currently folding his arms trying to hide the grimace on his face. He carried most of his amulets around his neck. Mahaad couldn't figure Sadie out at the moment, she wore an expression that conveyed she was both pleased and somewhat exasperated to see Walt at the same time. Walt's eyes betrayed him though, they held pain. He moved gingerly to greet them as the magicians on shore moved to board the ship.

The glowing orbs began to lower the plank so the rest of them could get on. /Did you having anything like that on your ship?/ Yugi asked starling the Pharaoh. Yami didn't even bother to hide his smirk this time. /No, I can't say that I did, Aibou. I'm sure Mahaad could have conjured some. Then my subjects would really think I was a god; sailing down in the Nile in a glowing boat./

Sadie marched over the Carter and grabbed him by the ear dragging him to the dinning rom. The others followed behind. "Have you lost your mind? Bast warned us that Blood Stained Blade would kill us if given the opportunity!" Carter to his credit, looked unruffled. "He's under a magical bind," as if that should solve everything. Mahaad resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even though Mahaad was under a magical bind as well, that didn't mean the demon served willingly. The Pharaoh stood, a little away from the group, gazing out the window lost in thought. "Yugi?" Mahaad's melodic voice broke through the Spirit's thoughts. "Y-yes?" his crimson red eyes fixed on the priest. "Carter said we can eat this food—" Mahaad indicated the food on the table. " _Hai, Arigato_ , _Yes, Thank you_ , Mahaad. I've just been thinking about the _Bennu, Phoenix_ ," Mahaad watched his king without interruption. "The Greeks lied. They said the _Bennu_ arose form its own ashes. They are wrong. _Bennu_ arise from the mound of creation itself—the _Benen_." Mahaad nodded deferentially. He knew this already, but humored the shorter duelist.

The group had almost finished their food when Blood Stained Blade told them that they had arrive in the Hall of Two Truths. They disembarked and made their way to the temple. Mahaad moved so that he was two paces behind Yugi, which somewhat set the king on edge. That indicated that Mahaad thought, the gods were going to expose the Pharaoh for who he was. As they moved deeper into the temple the torches cast eerie shadows across the floor. Ghosts wailed, tearing at their clothing and hair in signs of mourning. Others clutched rolls of papyrus and looked wealthier than the others. Mahaad looked at them sadly and was strongly reminded of the souls getting sucked into the Leviathan during the Orichalcos threat, while he had been powerless to intervene. Yami frowned, why were these people here?

"They are hoping or an audience with Osiris," Walt said. Yami nodded absent mindedly. "And the others?" Carter asked. "Refugees. They hope Osiris can protect them."

Two massive obsidian doors lay before them. They were guarded by a familiar looking black canine. The jackal bared its teeth and snarled. "Anubis!" Sadie cried and ran toward the jackal. "Sadie That's not Anubis!," Walt warned. When the jackal growled again Sadie backed down. "You're right. Unless having a really bad day."

"It is one of his servants. Anubis must be somewhere else," Walt looked certain, even though he sensed the others doubted him. His expression reminded Mahaad of the defiant look the Pharaoh wore during duels. "Do you have to defeat it?" Zia asked hefting her staff. "No. It is a gatekeeper, it needs to know our business." /Yugi./ the teen jumped. /I am going to let you have control for a moment. The guardian needs our names; and I'm…/ he trailed off.

/It'll detect the discrepancy between our _ha_ , _body,_ and _ba soul_ , no?/ The Pharaoh nodded gravely. /Yes./

Yugi took over in response. Walt approached the jackal guardian. "I am Walt Stone, this is Carter and Sadie Kane, Zia Rashid, Yugi—"

"Muto," came the reply, "—and Mahaad—" the magician hesitated for a second before replying, " _sa,_ _son of,_ Nakht," Sadie stared at him, the shock evident on her face. To Mahaad's discomfort he thought she actually understood the Egyptian he'd used. That was a weird last name. /We'll it's not he could actually claim to be an Ishtar, not here. There is too much at stake, right?/

/Correct Yugi./ "—We have business in the Hall of Judgment with Osiris." The jackal growled but the teen went on, "—we have important information regarding the trial of the condemned Setne." The jackal slunk away and the doors opened slowly. The group rushed forward into the court of the Underworld, as the doors began to close.

The thing that caught the eye was the set of scales in the center of the room, along with the dais and of course Lord Osiris, himself. Kneeling between two crocodile demons, knelt a man in a suit reading off of a scroll. Mahaad looked nervous, at the Pharaoh's side. "Dad!" Sadie cried and she was half way to him before the demons crossed their spears blocking her path. "Sadie?" Osiris asked in surprise. "Let her through.' both master and servant tried to hide their shock when she ran up and hugged him, sending the crock and flail from his lap to the floor below.

"Sadie my dear, why are you here? Can't you see I'm working?"

Ouch. Sadie tried, but failed, not to look hurt. The rest of the gang drew near to the dais. "Dad, it's important."

"Alright, let me finish this trial. Children stand on my right and don't interrupt." The blue skinned attendant struck his staff on the floor, "This is most irregular, my lord!"

"It's alright, Disturber. Continue." The blue skinned man was so agitated that his scroll unraveled down the stairs. "But, my lord—"he cut himself off trying to gather his scroll.

"You may continue your testimony Robert Whitham," After the man promised he hadn't stolen any fish form the sacred lakes, Osiris said, "Let his heart be weighed." Osiris stood. One of the demons brought a neatly tied linen sack. "His heart is in there?!" Carter said shocked, and turned a bit green.

"Shh!" Disturber snapped. "Bring forth the destroyer of souls!" To his left a door opened and Ammit entered the room. Sadie ran toward the beast and tried for a hug but Ammit snapped at her. Mahaad couldn't contain his shock and looked at the Pharaoh with an expression of complete bewilderment. Hugging the Devourer of Souls! That was unthinkable! The heart was placed next to the feather on the scales and they remained balanced. "You may enter the afterlife."

For the second time that day, Yami felt nostalgic. He knew firsthand how hard it was to be trapped forever not having any idea who he was. And now he was watching someone else enter the afterlife.

Everyone watched him go. "Children, this is Disturber, one of the gods of judgment, and my advisor." Sadie, of course, couldn't help but make fun of the man. "Did you say he's disturbed?" She teased.

"Disturber is my name! I judge those who lose their temper!" The blue skinned demon wailed in protest, as he adjusted his wig importantly. Everyone took turns in explaining things, and bringing the god of the dead up to date with what was going on, and their speculations. " _Anubis_ explained this to you? He revealed the nature of shadows to a mortal?" Osiris looked angry and not to be messed with. "Thoth helped—" Carter began. "Thoth!" Osiris spat in disgust.

"This knowledge is much too dangerous for a mortal!" A gong rung out. "The next trial!" Disturber announced. "Can't it be delayed?"

"No my Lord it's _his_ trial." Disturber said. Osiris looked serious. "Children this is a very important trial."

A man was escorted into the room by no less than six demons, wielding spears. He wore a traditional Egyptian kilt and was bare-chested. Sadie shivered, it was the Uncle Vinnie she had seen in her visions of the New Kingdom. He was bound by pink ribbon, which was quite serious.

/Yami?/

/The Ribbons of Hathor, one of the most powerful magical binds. Satne must truly be a dangerous threat./ The Pharaoh mused darkly. Disturber raised his scroll. "Setne also know as Price Khaemwaset—"

"—I haven't been called that in a long time," the youth remarked playfully. "He has been charged with the crime of blasphemy 4,092 times!"

"91," he corrected smugly. "The last crack about Lord Horus was just a misunderstanding. Am I right pal?" He looked at Carter when he spoke.

Both Yami and Mahaad were shocked, 4,092 times?! What happened to upholding ma'at?! No wonder chaos was spreading all over the world! This wasn't a time for mercy, it was a time for Near Eastern tribal politics. Disturber wasn't finished. "You've committed 23 murders," Setne tried to claim they were in self-defense. She was shocked that he could pick upon the fact that Carter was tied to Horus, she barely paid attention. She just stared at him. "You plotted against three separate pharaohs, tired to destroy the _Per Ankh_ six times and robbed the tombs of the dead to steal magic scrolls!"

To say the Pharaoh was shocked would have been an understatement. He immediately turned to Mahaad for an explanation. The Pharaoh had taken over again. Mahaad shrugged his shoulders, he was just as lost as his king was. For just one of those crimes, he could have been executed for others he should have been not only devoured by Ammit, but added to the Execration list as well. Setne laughed, as if it were all some part of a joke.

No one joined in. "Disturber," he said smoothly as he flattened his hair as best he could from his position. "I've already answered for these crimes in my previous trials. Shouldn't you just let me go?" the advisor god turned to Osiris and asked for confirmation to release the prisoner. Lord Osiris frowned and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"No Disturber. Even though he is bound by the Seven Ribbons of Hathor, he is still dangerous." Osiris rounded on his prisoner. "Silence!" Both the hieroglyphs flared and the Ribbons tightened, shocking the Egyptian. To his credit the thief dropped the act and his eyes swept the room, given them all looks of pure loathing, that could rival even the deranged Yami Malik or an angry Bakura.

Carter shuddered. The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow he'd been on the receiving end of many death glares. "Dad! Don't!" Sadie cried. Osiris heeded his daughter and loosened his grip. The ghost coughed and sputtered. He wanted to kill them all. "You have been sentenced to oblivion many times! This ends now! The first time you pled for a reduced sentence, you offered to help the pharaoh with your magic. You killed your guards and spent the next three hundred years causing chaos in Egypt!" Osiris roared.

With every passing accusation getting worse, it was his duty as Pharaoh that kept the king's mouth shut, or he would have challenged Setne to a Shadow Game right then and there. "You escaped your captors three more times and have spent the next several thousand years running around!"

"I missed you gods. The French Revolution? That was fun! And Archduke Ferdinand? Please—" Yami looked murderous now. He single handedly started a world war and the French Revolution?! Was there no end to his crimes? "—He was so boring. You would've killed him too." "Enough! You are through. I am Osiris now and I will not tolerate your existence any longer. You're out of tricks!"

Setne had the audacity to laugh again. "Your kids need my help."

"Ammit will devour your soul," Osiris vowed.

"Dad! We do need him!" Sadie cried. "He's the key to defeating the Serpent!" Carter said. "We came to the _Duat_ because of Setne. He has what we need. It is the only way to stop Apophis! Give us custody of Setne," Carter asked.

"No. Absolutely not, he is tricking you with Divine Words. He is a servant of chaos!" The Pharaoh decided to act, it was his place to make decisions and lead armies. The Pharaoh stopped forward and adopted a confident stance. "I will ensure Setne will obey. He will be returned to the Hall of Two Truths again," Yami vowed.

Osiris turned to regard the spiky haired duelist. "Who are you?" the god asked wearily. "I am Pharaoh Atem son of Ahnamkanon, Lord of the Two Lands, king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Father." Mahaad couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips. That was the Pharaoh's name! Osiris raised his eyebrows in shock. His features softened as his host showed him, his memories of the young king saving Egypt. Carter and Adie looked at Yugi and then each other. They didn't have a Japanese brother. "I assure you Mahaad and I can handle a rouge magician." Yami stated. The blue skinned god was about to answer when Setne interrupted him. "My lord. I don't want the Serpent to destroy the world. What's in it for me?" Setne then used divine words to encourage Sadie to talk about their plans. "Guards, give the prisoner the feather of Ma'at. He'll tell us the truth or he dies."

"The spell can only be cast by a living magician, one with a body. All the copies of the _Book of Overcoming Apophis_ , written by mewere destroyed. Those were the only copies. The original notes are located in the _Book of Thoth_ —"

Zia cut him off. "—Why couldn't you just tell us where it is?" she demanded. "Look doll. I'm the only one who can get it back. You know all the trips and all. I won't escape till I've gotten you the book and led you to the shadow. I'm—" he looked squarely at Mahaad who stood by his king's side, "—one of your best guides through the _Duat_. I'm one of your best bets for a guide."

To Mahaad's credit he met Setne's challenging gaze with one of his own. He was no stranger to glares either. Setne went on to discuss his plan. "Zia, Carter and the two Egyptians go with me to recover _the Book of Thoth_ , while Sadie and Walt go to Sais to find Bes' shadow. That way if Walt dies before the whole thing is over, Sadie can perform the binding. All I ask is that you consider my good deeds when sentencing me." Setne stated.

The pain in the god's eyes was plain to see. He hated the idea, but couldn't see a way around it. Yami was still thinking, his brows knit in concentration. Setne had reeled everyone in, he'd promised Osiris a way to find Isis, Sadie could be with Walt, Zia with Carter, and Carter wanted to be in the main group keeping an eye on Setne; while Mahaad obviously wanted to be near his king. "Shall we get going? Doomsday isn't going to wait!" Setne reminded everyone.

"Very well. May Ma'at protect you all," Osiris said heavily, as he eased himself back on his throne.

As everyone turned to go he called after them, "Yugi and Mahaad might I have a word?" It wasn't like they really had an option. "Yes, of course Lord Osiris. We'll catch up in a moment Carter." The king flashed him a reassuring smile. The rest of the group left the room, the heavy doors closing behind them, leaving the two Egyptians alone.

"If my memory serves correctly, Mahaad is supposed to be in the Shadow Realm, why is he here?" This question caught both master and servant off guard. "I needed my servant at my side, Lord Osiris." the pharaoh replied flatly. "Clearly, But why did you resurrect him? He knows magic no mortal could be trusted with. I don't need another scenario like Setne, on my hands!" he warned the duo.

"I am his Master. In part, I saw resurrection as a fit reward for his millennia in my service. I trust my servant with my life," the king proclaimed proudly. Mahaad flushed with gratitude. Osiris nodded considering this. "Lord Osiris, I made an oath to always obey my Master the Pharaoh and I haven't broken it," Mahaad replied softly in his own defense.

"But you have acted without orders."

Mahaad paled a bit at this. "Explain your actions in the duel against Arkana."

"I sacrificed myself again. I couldn't let harm come to my Master, the Pharaoh again. I was ready to accept the consequences of my actions."

"What about Dartz? Explain your actions then."

"I sent my apprentice to warn the Pharaoh about the beast so that it would have been less likely to weaken the seal on my Master, the Pharaoh's memories."

"Father," Yami interrupted Mahaad, "May I add something? During this time other monsters were running around in the mortal world. Mahaad stayed where he was supposed to be, until I called for him. He poses no threat to the mortals." Yami said.

"Very well. You both may go. But be warned, the Council will be keeping a close eye on both of you." The two men bowed and left the chamber to meet up with Carter. Mahaad still walked behind Yami at a respectful pace. "Mahaad, I know you aren't content to let things fall. We'll talk more once we're back on the river," Yami told him as they moved along the corridor. "Yes, my king." Sometimes Mahaad wished the Pharaoh couldn't read him so well. He'd had a lot of practice, after all, he'd summoned Mahaad in plenty of duels.

Carter and the others didn't talk much as they waited outside the Hall of Two truths for Mahaad and Yami to emerge. When both master and servant came out, Sadie beat Carter in asking the tough questions.

"What just happened?!" Sadie rounded on them and Zia folded her arms and stuck her chin out in defiance, glaring at them. "What do you think you are doing?" She demanded, directing the question to the pharaoh. Yami met the inquiring teens' gaze calmly. "In the Hall of Two Truths one is bound by Ma'at to tell the truth. I had to reveal my true identity," he said, keeping his tone conversational.

"True identity?!" Sadie cried. "What do you mean? What are you playing at?! Carter and I have the blood of the pharaohs from both sides of our family! Carter has even merged with Horus before! And you come here and claim to be the son of some pharaoh that no one had ever heard of!" She finished, breathing heavily from the passion she was feeling. Mahaad glared at her and stepped forward again to defend his king. Yami held up his hand and stopped the magician.

"I am Pharaoh. I cannot lie to you. I was crowned pharaoh three thousand years ago, I was sealed in a magical artifact and my _ka_ was reborn in the Japanese boy, Yugi," Sadie raised an eyebrow and rounded on Mahaad. "Then who are you Priest Imhotep?" She asked sarcastically. She snorted in defiance. "No, but I am a priest," Mahaad retorted in his own defense. "Where is the proof?" Zia asked.

"Here," a new voice broke in. It belonged to a young man in his early twenties. He wore leather armor and carried a khopesh of his own. The most striking feature about him was his eyes. One was gold and other silver. Mahaad drew in his breath sharply at the sight of the newcomer. Mahaad was about at his limit for interacting with gods for the day. For the third time that day, he sank to his knees and prostrated himself. Yami knelt as well. Horus smiled fondly at them. "See someone knows how to show me respect," he praised. "Rise," he commanded. Both master and servant hastened to obey. "Carter and I have had a good relationship. But Carter, he is the true pharaoh. He was consecrated to the office when he was still alive. And once you are a pharaoh, you are always a pharaoh. There is only one living incarnate of Horus on earth at a time. The older pharaohs are reborn in the next life as Osiris," the god explained.

"He will unite the House of Life and Egypt, under his rule," the god continued. Carter recoiled as if someone had just thrown a bucket of ice water at him. Sadie just stared at Horus in shock, while the god moved to stand next to the Pharaoh. "How has no one ever heard of you?" Sadie asked the Pharaoh. "Even _I've_ never heard of you!" Setne interjected. "I can just sense you have been anointed to the double crown of Egypt. And I can tell your servant is a very powerful magician," Setne glared at them. He was clearly angry that he didn't know much more about the Pharaoh than the mortal magicians did.Yami sighed, "I was erased from history to save Egypt from a terrible threat," he explained. "But that is a story for a different time. We need to get going if we are going to make to the next gate in time," the Pharaoh said warily.

The group got back on the boat and headed for the mortal word with the word's most dangerous magician in tow. Yami led Mahaad to a different room where they could talk. Yami eased himself into a chair and relaxed, crossing his legs, Mahaad, however remained standing. /Why is Mahaad still standing?/

/To act otherwise would be a breach of decorum. It is customary for a servant to stand unless told otherwise. /Aren't you going to invite him to sit?/

/Yes./

"Mahaad, please take a seat." Mahaad sat cross legged two feet away from the Pharaoh. Yami resisted the urge to become angry with Mahaad, at the mage's choice of seating arrangement. "Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I thought. Allow me to explain. You may sit in a chair,' Mahaad looked slightly nervous. "I am fine here, my king,"

"I insist Mahaad."

The priest shakily stood back up and took the chair to the right of Yugi. "Thank you. Now tell me, what is on your mind?" Mahaad focused on his hands clasped in his lap. "I apologize for my actions with Lord Mahaaes. I publically shamed you, Master in front of him. I accept whatever punishment you choose." He hung his head and waited with baited breath as the Pharaoh decided his fate. Yami was thinking how similar this was to the time Bakura broke into his father's tomb and stole his father's body. Mahaad should have been executed for that. Mahaad's speaking out of turn, especially with his patron present, invited strict punishment as well.

/You can't punish him too harshly Yami. He meant well and asked a sincere question./

/I know./ Then, Yugi wondered, why was Yami smirking?

"Mahaad—" the priest flinched at his name, "—I have decided your punishment," he kept his voice with a slight edge to it. "You will face _me_ in a chariot race," his tone lightened and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

That brought Mahaad's head up.

Mahaad looked bewildered. "M-m-master?" He stammered almost certain he heard incorrectly. "Yes, Mahaad. You heard me." Mahaad couldn't stop the silent tears of gratitude that ran down his cheeks. Both men knew Mahaad should have been severely punished for his presumptions actions in the presence of a god. Mahaad rose out of the chair, only to kneel his hands extended outward in praise. Even though Yugi was a spirit, he blushed in embarrassment. The Pharaoh however, accepted it graciously. Mahaad kissed the floor at his king's feet.

"You may kiss my feet." Mahaad was shocked to the core, but hastened to obey. "May I—" The Pharaoh cut him off. "Yes, take off my shoes." Mahaad reverently unlaced his king's boots. He removed the king's socks and kissed his feet. Mahaad squeaked, "eep!" when Yami moved to crouch next to his prostrate magician before raising the bowing man to his feet.

Mahaad was still dazed, trying to process what had just happened. "Come Mahaad, we're almost to the mortal world. When we arrive, we are going to leave the Kanes for a bit. We need to see that our own forces are prepared for war," the Pharaoh instructed. "Y-yes, Master, the king, my Lord," Mahaad replied reverently.

/Why—?/

/He's still in shock over kissing my feet. I just hope he doesn't try addressing me by all five of my names again. It makes communication difficult. Also, I should have told him not to write that on his funerary stela./

/Kissing our feet has more to it than meets the eye, doesn't it?/ Yugi observed. /Yes, it is a toke of reverence reserved for the gods. Even my vizier Shimon would kiss the ground at my feet unless expressly ordered otherwise./

The duo rejoined Carter and Zia. The two teens had been sitting and talking, but quickly jumped apart. Yami laughed softly while Mahaad looked out the window and noticed that it was getting lighter. Setne looked angry and Mahaad noted how he had used magic to loosen his bonds. Setne clearly had powerful magic and need to be watched closely.

Setne told them how they were going to fail and all sorts of encouraging advice. He glared at Mahaad. "Look doll," he said to Sadie, "I appreciate what you did back there with your Dad, and all. But you are still going to fail this quest unless you listen to me," he gloated. Yami leveled him with a glare that could have turned him to ash. "You'll pay for your crimes Setne." the Pharaoh vowed. They were spared from further confrontation by their arrival in the mortal world.

"I know this will come as a shock to you, but Mahaad and I are going to meet with some of our allies. We'll meet back up with you tomorrow," the Pharaoh announced, and he drummed his fingers on the ship's railing. Zia raised an eyebrow. "Egypt is too dangerous for two initiates to travel on their own. I'll go with you." The Pharaoh gave her a reassuring grin. "We'll be fine. I promise. Mahaad is all the protection I need right now. See those ruins, drop us off over there." There was a small outcropping of ruins on the west bank of the river, of an old mortuary temple.

"Your allies live in ruins?" Sadie asked in disbelief. Mahaad gave a ghost of a smile. "I guess you could say that," the Pharaoh replied cryptically. Zia's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you dare joke at a time like this!" she reprimanded him. Mahaad expression darkened and he stepped forward, but Yami called him off with a causally raised hand.

"I'm not. You'll meet our allies soon. I promise."

That was all he would say on the matter and at his insistence, the boat left them at the base of the ancient ruins of a temple. They ducked behind a wall out of sight until the boat had passed. As soon as it was further upriver, master and servant disappeared into the comforting purple mist.

They emerged on the outskirts of modern-day Thebes. Mahaad decided it was too loud for his taste, especially in comparison to the desert they had just left. Luckily for them, the Ishtars had agreed to meet them in the dwelling place of the former band of Tomb Keepers.

The Pharaoh scanned the sand that surrounded them. Yugi phased out of the Puzzle, and looked around too. "Maybe we could call Ishizu," Yugi suggested. Mahaad nodded in agreement. The stubborn Pharaoh shook his head. "Give me five more minutes," he challenged, pouting slightly. Yugi and Mahaad agreed and they continued their search for the underground tomb.

The Pharaoh scanned the rocky cliffs above them. He called on the magic of the Millennium Puzzle and it glowed with power, and the Eye of Illusions appeared on his forehead. He walked a few hundred feet before stooping low to the ground and began digging in the sand with his hands. Mahaad was quick to assist him and in a few minutes they had unearthed a metal trapdoor. Both men were covering in sweat and sand clung to their clothes, making them uncomfortable.

"That took you four and a half minutes, Yami." Yugi said aloud, for Mahaad's benefit, looking at his watch. "And you used the Puzzle," his lighter half mused. "I never said I wasn't going to use the Puzzle, just that I would find the tomb in less than five minutes Aibou." Yami gave his partner a self-assured grin and rapped his knuckles sharply on the door.

Author's Notes:

Thank you for the reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I got this chapter up early because I had an off day from work on Friday. Updates will be a bit more spread out, my sister is coming to stay with me for a month! Please review and let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Ishtars

The metal door swung outward to reveal the tattoed face of Odion Ishtar, holding a spear loosely in one hand. He relaxed his grip further when he saw who it was. His expression changed from one of suspicion to delight. His cream colored robes, contrasted with the dim light of the tomb below. "Please, come in," he said inclining his head and bowing them into the tomb. "We've been expecting you." Yami gave a curt nod. "Thank you, Odion," the Pharaoh replied as he led the way to join the taller man at the bottom of the stairs. Odion closed the trapdoor and the only light that remained in the tomb was the flickering torches that lined the hallway.

Odion excused himself to get the rest of his family. Soon Ishizu and her brother Marik joined him. Ishizu's hair flowed down past her shoulders, her blue eyes dancing with excitement. She too wore a cream colored robe, much like the one she had worn during Battle City. Marik on the other hand, was the only one in normal clothes. He was wearing a white shirt that left his midriff exposed, showing his tan skin. He wore earrings which jangled as he surveyed the new arrivals. He blond hair was unkempt as ever. He wore baggy, tan cargo pants with tennis shoes.

"Marik-kun," Yami greeted. "Pharaoh," Marik returned, dipping his head slightly. Ishizu bowed. "It is my pleasure to welcome you into our home, my king." she said. "The pleasure is all mine," the Pharaoh said cordially. "Allow me to introduce, Mahaad," he said indicating the taller man. Mahaad bent forward at the waist into a polite bow, his brown locks falling forward as he did so. Ishizu looked at the magician with wonder, as if she couldn't really believe he was here. She snapped out of her gaze quickly. "I'll show to your rooms. We have a lot to talk about."

Once they got settled in, she informed them that dinner would be ready in about an hour. They would be having a feast in honor of the Pharaoh's return to Egypt. Mahaad smiled faintly at that. That meant there would be good food he actually recognized!

As soon as Ishizu left, Mahaad immediately changed out of the uncomfortable cotton clothes he had been wearing earlier, into the white linens he had grown up in. He didn't wear all of his jewelry and such, to do so when the Pharaoh was dressed in western clothing would have been an insult. Needless to say, he was much more comfortable.

Odion came to collect him and helped ensure that he didn't get lost in the maze of rooms and corridors on the way to the dining hall, for which Mahaad was grateful. "Lady Ishtar," he greeted, closing his eyes, briefly before opening them and regarding her. "Master Mahaad," she returned. "You may sit here," she said indicating a seat to the Pharaoh's right. Mahaad obliged and sat down. As soon as the Pharaoh was seated, Ishizu served the food, starting with the Pharaoh at the head of the table.

Mahaad had to admit, it had been awhile since he had dined like this. Being dead, one didn't get invited to many banquets, at least not Egyptian style ones. There were cucumbers, leeks, onions, chicken, beef and of course bread and beer. Everyone dug in and began eating.

The Pharaoh and Mahaad recounted their adventures thus far. They told about their new allies and one name in particular got everyone's attention. "Zia Rashid?" Odion asked in disbelief. "Yes, why?" the Pharaoh wondered why he was so curious about her. "You said she is Egyptian right?" he asked for clarification. "Yes," the Pharaoh confirmed. "That is interesting because my birth name is Rashid," Odion revealed. "I took the name Odion when I officially became Master Marik's servant." The Pharaoh nodded, renaming was a much more common experience in the ancient world. "Do you think you're related to her?" Mahaad asked.

"Yes, where did you say she was from?" Odion asked again. "The Village of the Red Sands," the Pharaoh quoted. Odion closed his eyes. "That was my village. It was destroyed when one of the villagers foolishly let a demon out of a jar he had been sealed in. The mental image of a sealing jar made Mahaad think of the Dragon Capture jar from Duel Monsters and that made him shudder. That kind of power, if unchecked, could easily destroy a village.

"Not only is the Serpent rising, but there is going to be an immediate attack on Cairo coming from Abu Simbel. We need to do everything to make sure we are ready. I will not have innocent children die defending Egypt and her secrets, if it can be helped. I will have a meeting with all of the Item Holders tomorrow morning at sunrise, as well as the Clan leaders." The Pharaoh commanded.

The rest of dinner was a more subdued affair. After the meal, everyone was free to do as they pleased. Marik challenged Yugi to a duel, who gladly accepted saying he hadn't got to duel for fun in a couple of weeks and it was driving him mad. Mahaad sat in a chair content to observe the match, but Ishizu interrupted him. "Will you play a game of senet with me?" He started, before staring at her, unsure of what to say. "Y-yes, that would be fun," he allowed.

They set up a senet board and the match between them began. As their game progressed they talked. "Lady Ishtar, I have been wondering, how did you obtain the surname Ishtar?" Ishizu eyebrows rose at the unexpected question. That was one of the last things she had been expecting. "As you know Ishtar is the goddess of love and war, from our brothers the Babylonians. We adopted some of their gods Ba'al is listed as aiding the pharaoh in the Battle of Kadesh. She was a major goddess to our family and my father was dedicated to her. He was Egyptian but he had spent a fair amount of time abroad. In fact, in ancient times my brother Marik often went with him. My brother bore the name as well, and it has lived on," Mahaad nodded considering her answer.

"I remember some of the other children in the _Kap_ came from other lands and worshipped other gods," Mahaad remembered fondly. Ishizu gave him a confused look. " _Kap_?" she said uncertainly. "It was the school inside the palace where the royal children were educated as well as high born nobility," he clarified. A genuine grin spread across his face as he moved one of his pieces off the board in triumph. He wasn't as good as his Master, but he had learned a trick or two from the King of Games. Senet had always been one of the Pharaoh's favorite games.

The remainder of the evening was spent relaxing. As things were winding down, and everyone was preparing to retire, Yami pulled Mahaad aside. "Mahaad?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh?" he inquired softly. "Come with me." Mahaad nodded respectfully toward Ishizu before following his Pharaoh out of the room. The king led the priest into an adjoining chamber. It was bare except for the torches lining the walls and a chair in the corner.

"I know things have been hard for you, and I am glad you are able to relax. However, I know the gods, especially the Ennead are watching us closely." Mahaad was slightly on edge now. The Ennead was a council of nine majors gods, including Lord Osiris, and weren't deities to be crossed. Mahaad sorted through his memories and tired to determine if he had breached any protocol that evening, as far as he could remember, he hadn't.

The Pharaoh's voice broke though his thoughts. "I want you to make a covenant oath with me, tonight." If Mahaad was surprised, he gave no sign.

"As you wish," Mahaad said deferentially.

The Pharaoh's clothes changed from his Domino high uniform, to the clothes he wore as Pharaoh. "I know this isn't the temple but we don't have time to go there. This needs to be done tonight." The Pharaoh moved the chair into the center of the room and sat on it, looking as commanding and regal as ever. It didn't matter that the chair was a plain wooden kitchen chair. The Pharaoh's very presence projected his power. Mahaad slowly approached the Pharaoh and knelt before the seated Pharaoh, his left knee was up signifying that his heart was always pointed toward the king. Mahaad reached his palm up and the Pharaoh covered the extended hand with his own right hand.

Ishizu, Marik and Odion filtered into the room to be present for the occasion. Yugi phased out of the Puzzle, wearing his usual Domino uniform. Yami's eyes flickered to his host. Yami nodded curtly to Yugi and Yugi stood to the right of Yami and placed a spectral hand on top of the Pharaoh's. Even though the Pharaoh would be the one formally establishing the covenant, Mahaad would be bound to Yugi as well.

"I am Pharaoh Atem, Lord of the Two Lands, King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Son of Akhankamun. I enter into this suzerain-vassal treaty with my servant Mahaad son of Nakht of Waset."

"I have accepted my servant's offering of his life as well as his afterlife. I have guided him and his actions. I have rewarded him justly for his deeds, be they good or evil. I have fed, clothed and sheltered my servant. He has served me faithfully doing all that I command."

"These are the stipulations and commandments I give my servant in my service. My servant promises to obey all commands I give him. He also promises to treat me with the respect my office as pharaoh, requires. He promises to serve me faithfully forever. Do you accept these conditions my servant Mahaad?"

Mahaad didn't raise his head as replied, he spoke to the ground. "Yes, the King, my Master. I swear by the feather of Ma'at I will do as you command." Swearing by the feather of Ma'at was the most binding oath an Egyptian could make.

Unseen by Mahaad, Yami smiled in satisfaction. "The witnesses to this covenant are Odion, Marik and Ishizu Ishtar, Lord Horus, Lady Isis and the rest of the Ennead, and most of all Lady Ma'at herself. This covenant will be recorded and read aloud once a year in a renewal ceremony."

"The blessings associated with obedience to these I, Pharaoh, Lord of the Two Lands, will provide my servant with food, shelter and clothing. I will protect him from enemies. If he obeys my commands he shall be rewarded with the Field of Reeds so that he can remain in my service forever. If he breaks these stipulations he will be cursed and shall face any punishment I desire. If he betrays me there will be no mercy. If he attempts to sacrifice himself again as he did before, he will be execrated."

Yami was deadly serious and Yami felt Mahaad give an involuntary shudder through his extended hand. Mahaad might have liked to object to that, but he couldn't, at least not anymore that it was part of the curse formula of the covenant.

"This covenant will be written down and two copies will be kept. One will kept in my Deck Nation in the Temple of Karnak and the other will kept in the Millennium Puzzle in my soul room. You may rise," Yami said with a tone of finality. Mahaad rose and averted his eyes. "You may all take your leave, it is getting late," the Pharaoh ordered. Even though it was phrased nicely, it was still an order, giving them permission to act.

They all bowed and filled out of the room and headed for their own chambers to go to sleep. Mahaad hung back and waited for the Pharaoh to acknowledge him. "What can I do for you Mahaad?" He asked pleasantly. Yugi was still in spirit form and he too looked at Mahaad expectantly. Mahaad hesitated a moment before giving his response. "May I have permission to update the star charts tonight?" he asked. The Pharaoh shook his head. "No, Mahaad. You need your rest. We have an important meeting in the morning. I need everyone to be rested for tomorrow. You can update them another time. Good night."

"Good night, Mahaad," Yugi added, smiling reassuringly at the magician.

"Good night, my Pharaoh, my Prince," he replied. With that, the Pharaoh left the room, his cloak billowing dramatically behind him.

Thank you for the reviews! They keep me motivated to keep writing. Please read and review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the Kane Chronicles.

Chapter 10: Council Meeting

The next day came too quickly in Mahaad's opinion. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room to orient himself. Because they were underground, there was no sunlight, and he didn't know what time it was. He pushed back the covers and sat up swinging his legs over the side of the bed, before standing up. " _A'max_ , _(Fire)_ ," he intoned, and the torches flared to life. He walked over to a trunk along the wall and opened it. He pulled out the clothes he had worn as High Priest in Pharaoh's court. He dressed himself, putting on all of jewelry and armbands. Their weight felt odd yet at the same time familiar. The last article he pulled out was his _khat_ or headdress signifying his noble status. He finished getting ready by outlining his eyes with black kohl and applying the other necessary oils, before leaving his room to see if anyone else was awake.

Even though he was a master magician, knowing his was in a tomb kind of uneasy. He roamed the hallways until he stopped at the library. He pushed the doors open and entered. He sighed in contentment. This was one of his sanctuaries. To his surprise there was someone already inside. Ishizu was seated at table a scroll unrolled in front of her and she was scanning the lines of hieratic with her finger. Mahaad moved silently and tried to read the red glyphs that made up the title of the scroll she was reading, but she started and gasped. "Mahaad! How long have you been there?" Mahaad blushed a bit at the embarrassment of getting caught. "Not long at all, Lady Ishtar," he said honestly. She too was wearing the same clothes her predecessor would have in the Pharaoh's court, except her long black hair was uncovered. Her blue eyes danced in the torchlight. "What are you reading?" Mahaad inquired. Ishizu looked down at the scroll in front of her. "I was reading over some Clan history," she replied. Mahaad nodded in understanding. "May I join you?" he asked. She smiled in response. "Yes, of course. I would appreciate the company," she said truthfully.

Mahaad took a seat on the edge of the bench she was sitting on so there was still room between them. Mahaad noticed the gleam of the Millennium Tauk at her throat. "I see the Pharaoh has returned the Millennium Necklace to you," he observed. "Yes, he has," she agreed. Ishizu noted the lack of Millennium Ring around the magician's neck, not that she had actually expected the Ring to be there after Thief had ripped it from him. Mahaad looked at Ishizu with a concerned expression, noticing the sadness that filled her eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked softly. She shook her head slowly.

"Maahad, I want to ask you a question," she said abruptly. Mahaad raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Go ahead."

"Did you ever love anyone?" Mahaad's eyes widened in shock at the seemingly random question. "Yes, I love the Pharaoh with my whole soul," he replied fervently. Ishizu smiled at his lack of comprehension. "I know, I do too. Did you ever love a woman?" Understanding dawned on him and he flushed in embarrassment, and looked away. "I—I—" he began awkwardly. To his surprise he felt Ishizu put her hand on top of his own. "It is alright you can trust me," she assured him. "Yes," he replied sighing heavily at the ancient memory. "I loved someone once, but it is too late now," he said sadly. "Who was she?" Ishizu pressed. "I loved Priestess Isis," he admitted, wishing that the blush would finally leave his face.

She smiled in response. "Did she love you?" she asked. "I don't know," he admitted. "I never had the chance to do anything about it, with the Thief's attack and all," he replied. "I know I am not Priestess Isis, but I have had many visions of the Nameless Pharaoh's reign. I think you are very brave for what you did," she said. He smiled sadly. "Thank you."

"I know we just officially met, but I feel like our spirits remember our past connection," she explained. "Yes, I feel comfortable around you," he said. "I know it will take time, but would," she took a breath before taking the plunge, "you be willing to court me?" Mahaad gaped at her, unsure of what to say. After he collected his thought for a few minutes, he replied. "I am too old for you," he said seriously, hanging his head. She laughed lightly. "Let me be the judge of that," she countered.

That brought his head up again. She instinctively moved closer to him so that they were side by side, she still hadn't removed her hand from his. He looked at her fondly. "I would have to get permission from Master," he finally replied. She nodded encouraging him to continue. "I cannot do anything of the sort without his permission. If I was fully human again, there would be no problem. But since I am a Duel Monster, one that is bound to his own soul, I need his express permission," he said. "I can respect that. But I beg of you to at least consider it," she said. "I would love to," he said, allowing the corners of his mouth to move upward in a genuine smile. She rested her head contently against his shoulder and he moved his left arm around her. She snuggled up to him in response. She loved feeling close to him and she felt warm and safe in his embrace. He rested his head on top of her own. They remained like that for awhile, neither of them speaking, just content to be in one another's company. Mahaad inhaled the scent of her flowery perfume that smelled like lotus flowers.

Ishizu was the first to break away, and Mahaad let her go, already missing the closeness they shared. Ishizu stood and squeezed his hand in reassurance before letting it fall. "I must go make preparations for the meeting. It will start in about an hour," she said. Mahaad nodded and inclined his head respectfully. "Very well. I hope to see you again soon, Lady Ishtar," he replied.

Mahaad sat on the bench watching her until she had closed the door behind her and Mahaad finally rose. He was happier than he had been in awhile. He hadn't gone more than a few paces from the library when he heard a voice call out to him, "Mahaad, there you are," he turned to see the Pharaoh walking up behind him, still dressed in his blue PJs with yellow stars. "I should have known you'd be in the library, it was next place I was going to check after your room. Good call, Yugi," he said to his lighter half who was walking beside him in spirit form. "You look especially happy this morning," the Pharaoh commented, a note of suspicion present in his voice. Mahaad prayed to Horus that he wouldn't blush, and it appeared the falcon god actually heeded his prayer. "Thank you, my Pharaoh," he examined the teenage king's clothing. "May I assist you in getting ready for the day?" he asked. "Yes, you may," and Yami and Yugi started heading back the direction they had come. "Although, I do want to remind you that it is beneath your station as my High Priest and especially as my vizier," Yami said allowing slight displeasure to creep into his voice. "I am still your servant—" Mahaad began. "—Yes, but I am Pharaoh, and you are what I say you are. I am Egypt, Mahaad don't forget that. You might still technically be my slave, but you are my friend too. Don't forget that." Mahaad bowed his head, frustrated with himself for angering his king. "Don't beat yourself up about this," the Pharaoh reprimanded sternly.

He opened his door and all three of them stepped into Yami and Yugi's room. Yami sat down on what appeared to be one of the nicest chairs in the whole tomb. Mahaad walked over to a chest like the one he had opened earlier that morning, and removed the Pharaoh's robes. Mahaad bowed elaborately before presenting the Pharaoh's royal kilt. It was now Yugi's turn to blush as Yami moved to remove his pants. "Face the wall!' Yugi shrieked in alarm, his voice an octave higher than normal. Mahaad hastened to obey, a bit chagrined at the reprimand. "You may turn around now," Yami had just finished tying the kilt. The Pharaoh seated himself on the chair while Mahaad went to work. Mahaad placed the _waresh_ a large golden collar around his king's neck and fastened it closed. "You never said why you were so happy this morning. I would have thought with the upcoming meeting involving Bakura you'd be less than pleased," the Pharaoh mused. Mahaad almost dropped the armband he was carrying. "I went to the library," he said vaguely.

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow. "I enjoy the library as well. But you look especially happy this morning," the Pharaoh pressed. Mahaad shifted uncomfortably as he fastened an armband around the Pharaoh's left bicep. Mahaad was at least spared from having to look at the Pharaoh while he retrieved the next armband. "Lady Ishtar reviewed the Clan history with me," Mahaad said as he approached with the next armband. Yami raised both eyebrows in response.

/I didn't think there was anything that interesting in there./ Yami had to agree with his lighter half. Mahaad was acting strangely. But he was happier than he had been in awhile, so the Pharaoh decided to let it slide for now. "That's great Mahaad. I'm glad you found something new to read." As soon as Mahaad finished with the armbands he uncorked a jar of premixed kohl. He dipped a reed inside and knelt before the Pharaoh so they were eye level. As much as Yami hated to see Mahaad act beneath his station, he secretly liked having the priest help him. Mahaad had a steadier hand and never poked him in the eye, like some of his other servants in the past, much to their horror.

After that, Mahaad looked at the Pharaoh for permission to touch the Millennium Puzzle that Yami had taken off when he had changed. Mahaad reverently put it over his king's head. Last of all he placed the double crown of Egypt on his head. The Pharaoh was ready. He wore the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt.

Yami stood and exited the room, Mahaad not too far behind him. Instead of going to the council room, like Mahaad expected, the Pharaoh headed for the kitchen. "Pharaoh?" Mahaad inquired. "I'm hungry and I know you are too. I heard your stomach growl several times," Mahaad blushed yet again, while the Pharaoh just smirked. "And besides, the meeting can't start without me. Until I am there, everyone else is simply early." Even though Yugi had taught Yami a lot about being humble, Yami would forever be Pharaoh.

They ate some leftovers from their dinner the night before. Yugi saw Yami's mental image of Ishizu freaking out, thinking they only had leftovers for breakfast and giggled at it. Luckily for them, no one disturbed them as they ate. Once they had finished their quick morning meal, they set off for the council chambers.

The Pharaoh motioned for Mahaad to enter first which he did, silently taking his seat to the right of the head of the table. Everyone stood when Yami entered. He took his seat and then told everyone to do the same. Yami's eyes swept over the assembled group. There were all males seated around him except for Ishizu one seat down from her brother Marik, at his left. Odion was seated along the wall away from the table, as he wasn't an official leader in the Clan, but Yami had requested that he be present for the meeting anyway.

After bidding them all good morning, Yami started the meeting off by giving everyone an order. "I want you to swear your loyalty to me as your Pharaoh and king. We will start with Mahaad," he instructed. Mahaad quickly did so. That started a chain reaction at the table as other Clan leaders swore their allegiance. Mahaad scanned the table, there were quite a lot of people in the room. There were the 21 nomarchs plus Mahaad, Yami and the other Item Holders, except Shadi. Yami's reasoning for doing this became apparent when they got to the nomarch from nome 15, a bald man who was wearing too much kohl. He was seated about halfway down the table on the left side, by the name of Nemtynakht.

The man hesitated slightly, and Yami held up a hand to silence him. Unbeknownst to them they had all been judged while doing this. Shadi emerged from the shadows holding the Millennium Scales. "He lies," the Spirit confirmed the scale's reading of the man's soul. Nemtynakht tried to play it off, but was again silenced by Yami. "I've heard enough out of you, Nemtynakht. Shadi, peer into his mind and see the depth of his disloyalty." The man looked terrified as Shadi approached him with the Millennium Ankh and pressed the tip to his forehead and turned it. Everyone waited for Shadi to move. Shadi returned from the man's soul room and frowned, lowering the Key. "He does not think a Japanese teenager is fit to be king. He wants Mahaad to lead us."

All eyes turned to either Mahaad or Yami. Mahaad looked thoroughly shocked Yami looked angry. "Thank you Shadi for those enlightening results. You may take your place at the table." The Pharaoh waited for Shadi to be seated before he continued. "You had plans to talk to my servant after the meeting to conspire against me. That is treason, and you will be punished accordingly. Nemtynakht, I hereby strip you of your office as a nomarch as well as all titles, rank and land you may have. You will be held in prison until a full trial can be held. "Get him out of my sight!" The Pharaoh spat the last part in ancient Egyptian, and Odion detached himself from the wall to remove the shocked man from the room. Nemtynakht sputtered and tried to justify himself but to no avail. His screams fell on deaf ears.

As soon as his cries of protest had faded away, Yami directed everyone to continue. Obviously the Millennium Items' didn't have any effect on Bakura, so he was spared from having to swear his loyalty to the Pharaoh. He just sneered when it was his turn, but didn't say anything.

"Now that, that is out of the way, let us begin," Yami explained about their past couple of weeks and their knowledge of the Serpent's uprising. He also informed them of the immediate threat of the rebels' attack from their base at Abu Simbel. "How many troops from each nome do we have?" he asked. The scribe in the corner was keeping detailed notes of the meeting's proceedings. From all 21 nomes they only had 15 magicians. Yami was clearly displeased with this. "My Pharaoh, may I have permission to speak?" Ishizu said looking at Yami for confirmation. There were dissenting cries at the table that she shouldn't even be allowed to speak.

Isis ignored the cries of derision around her and focused her attention instead on her king at the head of the table. "You have permission to speak Lady Ishtar," Yami affirmed formally. That quieted the protests for now. "I also wish to remind the rest of you that Lady Ishtar not only holds a place of authority within my court, but she also has been appointed to the position of God's Wife of Amun." If the pharaoh intended to get a reaction by revealing this information he got one. There were cries of outright shock which both Mahaad and Ishizu shared. God's Wife of Amun was one of the highest offices a woman could hold. Ishizu outranked nearly every man that surrounded her.

Ishizu forced herself to focus on that task at hand. All attention had shifted to her. Her eyes swept the assembly, lingering briefly on the faces of the other Item Holders. "I would like to suggest that we consider additional sources of support as well. We could enlist help from Duel Monsters too," she proposed. The pharaoh nodded his agreement. "That is an excellent idea, Lady Ishtar. We will discuss the implications of such a course of action as soon as the rest of this meeting is over," he stated.

The Pharaoh ordered all of the remaining 20 nomarchs to put their magicians on high alert and have them ready to transport at at a moment's notice. The Pharaoh then dismissed the 20 nomarchs. "The Item Holders will remain behind," Mahaad rose to his feet as that statement no longer applied to him. "And of course, you as well, Mahaad and Odion." That Pharaoh amended his original order. Yami waited until they had all exited leaving Yami, Ishizu, Shadi, Marik, Bakura, Odion and Mahaad. "I want all of you especially to be wary of these magicians from the House of Life. They have one named Setne among them. He was a powerful magician in his own right, as well as a prince. He may target you for your Items." Yami Bakura gave a snort of disgust. "I would like to see him try baka Pharaoh," the Thief said glaring at Yami. The Pharaoh rolled his eyes in response. Bakura could be really annoying at times. "Yami sent the Tomb Robber a glare of his own. "Look Tomb robber, Setne manipulated Disturber in the Hall of Two Truths," the Pharaoh warned.

The Tomb Robber laughed darkly. "So? Did you forget that I humiliated you and your court with Diabound?" He spat. Mahaad looked angry and gave a death glare to Bakura. "Besides Pharaoh, you can't order me around like one of your subjects. I am under no one's authority," the Tomb Robber said smugly.

"Bakura!" All heads turned to see that it was Marik that had spoken, clutching the Rod unconsciously. "You and the pharaoh obviously have very different ideas on how things should be done, but we have to remember who the real enemy is. The Serpent is going to be harder to defeat than the demon Zork," Marik reminded them. Bakura just huffed but didn't say anything in response. But everyone knew that, by so doing he had acknowledged Marik's words as the truth. He didn't want the world to end. There would be no more Pharaoh to torment or people to steal from.

The Pharaoh dismissed the rest of them. "Mahaad and Ishizu I want to speak with both of you; the rest of you are dismissed," the Pharaoh said. Mahaad looked slightly alarmed. The rest of them filed out. Marik gave Ishizu a questioning look as he passed by her on his way out. She didn't acknowledge him as he left. The Pharaoh cleared his throat. "I asked you both to stay behind because I wanted to talk to you about Ishizu's proposal. First of all, thank you for speaking your mind Ishizu. Mahaad, can you go back to my Deck Nation and alert my monsters there?" The Pharaoh looked to Mahaad for confirmation. The magician nodded his assent. "Consider it done, my king. When do you want me to leave?" The Pharaoh zoned out for a minute, consulting his lighter half. "Yugi and I think that you could leave in the after lunch and be back in time for us to meet back with the Kanes." Mahaad nodded again. "As you wish, my Pharaoh."

Yami scooted his chair back and stood prompting the others to do the same. Mahaad saw the opportunity and took it. "My Pharaoh, may I speak with you privately?" He asked. Yami smiled. "Of course. Lady Ishtar, if you would excuse us?" The priestess nodded and bowed before leaving the two alone. Yami sat back down at the head of the table. Mahaad returned to his seat too. "What is on your mind, my friend?" Yami asked looking at Mahaad who was suddenly nervous.

"May I ask you a question, my king?" Mahaad asked. Yami gave him a smile in response. "You just did, but you may ask another." Mahaad ducked his head, but forged on. "I know this is quite presumptuous of me, my king, but may I have your permission to court Lady Ishtar?" Several emotions crossed the Pharaoh's face but Mahaad missed most of them. The Pharaoh gave him a knowing look, before Yugi phased out of the Puzzle. Mahaad was even more nervous now. "I know I need your permission my king. I know that it is proper for me to ask for her father's permission, but seeing as her father is in the West," Mahaad rambled. Both Yugi and Yami were smiling conspiratorially at each other, while Mahaad continued his rant.

"Mahaad!" Yugi tried getting the magician's attention, but failed.

"Mahaad!" The Pharaoh said loudly. This time, Mahaad jumped and went quiet. "Before Yugi and I give our answer, I want to tell you a few things. First of all, you and Ishizu know that I am Pharaoh. This means that I am and will be the first priority in your relationship. If I ever need either of you to do something for me, it will take precedence over everything else," Mahaad nodded. He was already bound to do that. "Second, I want you to tell me if things get serious enough for you to get married," Mahaad found it a bit strange but readily agreed to it. "Finally, no matter what happens, you are to treat Ishizu with respect. She has been through a lot with her brother's darker half, as well as losing both of her parents. If I hear that you are failing in any of these areas you will be punished accordingly," Mahaad nodded again.

The Pharaoh smiled knowingly again at his friend. "Then you have our permission to court Ishizu." A large grin spread across Mahaad's face. "Thank you my Pharaoh, my Prince!" he said softly. He rose from his chair only to bow deeply. The Pharaoh acknowledged the magician with a curt nod, before leaving the room.

They joined everyone for lunch in the dining hall. The Pharaoh's eyes twinkled mischievously in the torchlight before he handed control back over to Yugi. The short teen made his way over to the dining table and sat down, his stomach growling. "I never knew politics could drain my appetite!" he said laughing. "You have no idea!" Marik said from his left. Mahaad moved to Ishizu's side and conversed with her in low tones for a moment. By the joy on her face, he had just given her the good news. After talking for several minutes they took their respective places at the table.

After lunch, Mahaad rose from the table and left the room. He disappeared in a swirl of purple mist. He emerged in front of the main gates of his Pharaoh's Deck Nation. He entered the gates and exchanged greetings with the monsters he encountered. Some of them gave him odd looks, not bothering to hide the fact that they were wondering why he was back. He explained he was on a mission and hurried on. They of all people should understand.

Mahaad moved swiftly to the council chamber near the Great Temple of Karnak. He knew that the quickest way for him to contact all of the monsters in the Pharaoh's Deck was to come here. He entered through the heavy wooden door and climbed up a light of stone steps. He opened another door that led to a large circular room with several tall windows, overlooking the city. There were several chairs placed behind a semicircular table. There was an intricate carving of the attributes of Duel Monsters on the floor in the middle of the semicircle. Mahaad took his dark magic staff and touched the butt of it to the stone carving, and it flared to life in a green color.

Mahaad wasn't surprised when his fellow monsters rushed to the courtyard outside the council chamber. They had had more than their fair share of Shadow Duels and as a result they had to be ready for anything at any time. Within a few minutes everyone was there. Mahaad anxiously scanned the crowd of familiar faces, searching for the familiar blue and pink garb of his apprentice, Mana. But to his dismay she wasn't there. He spotted Karim, the Celtic Guardian, near the front of the pack, and they exchanged glances.

Mahaad told everyone what had happened and warned them to stay alert; and that there might be demons and other monsters that would try and harm them. They took it fairly well. In their view, they had been in much worse situations than this. After Mahaad dismissed everyone, he waited patiently while the elven warrior trotted up to him. "Greetings Mahaad," the Celtic Guardian, said. "Greetings to you too, Karim. Is Mana any better?" he asked his fellow priest. The warrior's eyes darkened. "No, she opened her eyes a few hours ago, but she is still very weak. She will need a few more days to recover at best. She was hurt by some powerful dark magic," Mahaad nodded gravely. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He thanked his friend and closed his eyes and returned to the world of the living.

"Mahaad!" Ishizu cried when he entered the room, having changed from his Dark Magician robes into the clothes he had worn in life. She stood. Mahaad nodded in her direction before approaching the Prince who was currently dueling Marik. The teens looked up from their duel. "I have passed on the information from the meeting to the monsters of your Deck," Mahaad reported. "Thank you Mahaad," Yugi flashed him a big grin. Mahaad bowed before turning his attention to Ishizu. He walked over to her and she impulsively gave him a hug. His eyes widened in surprise before he returned the gesture.

"Mahaad, Yami says that we are going to be leaving to meet the Kanes in a few minutes. And he says that he talked it over with Ishizu and her brothers. She will be coming with us," Yugi informed them. Mahaad and Ishizu thanked him. Ishizu left the room to say goodbye to Odion and grab the supplies she had packed. When she returned, the teens had put their duel mat away, Yugi had just wiped out the last of Marik's life points. "Good duel Yugi!" Marik praised. "Not bad, yourself Marik," Yugi said.

The group parted ways and headed for the surface. The sun was directly overhead and it blinded all for them for several seconds as they climbed out of the tomb.

As soon as the group emerged from the tomb, they covered that entrance with sand again, so it wouldn't be found by the random passerby. "Where are we meeting the Kanes?" Ishizu asked, not having been with them the first time. "We'll be teleporting to the spot we met them at last time. We are actually going to scry them now," the Pharaoh explained. Mahaad took that as an indication that he should pull out his scrying equipment. He summoned his leather satchel and removed a copper bowl and a jar of oil. He poured the oil into it and waved his hand over the oil speaking a spell. The surface of the oil shimmered and the teenage face of Carter appeared. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and he appeared to have slept in the same clothes he had been wearing when they had last seen him. "Hi Carter, where are you guys?" The Pharaoh didn't mince words when it came to diplomacy. "We are still on the _Egyptian Queen_ sailing down the Nile. We'll tell you that full details later, but we were attacked by a hippo, and we have been drifting ever since. Our ship is damaged," Carter reported. "But we are south of Cairo and heading to Memphis. We're heading to the _serapum_ , " he said. Mahaad nodded. "We are near modern day Luxor. We'll be there shortly, and I'm sure we'll run into you," the Pharaoh assured. The oil went black and Mahaad put his supplies away.

"Mahaad we need a way to get there," the Pharaoh said. "Yes we do," Mahaad agreed. He pulled an amulet out of the _Duat_ and activated it once they had reached the Nile's western bank, leaving the land of the dead. As Ishizu stepped cautiously on to the magical chariot she was impressed. It looked just like the royal chariot the Pharaoh had used in life.

"Good work!" The Pharaoh praised. "Now both of you make sure you prepare your mental defenses. Setne will try and breach your mind and manipulate you. This is especially true of you Mahaad as you don't have a Millennium Item to assist you," the Pharaoh cautioned as he mounted the chariot. As was his divine right, Yami was the driver and Mahaad took up the bow and Ishizu just hung on to the front of the chariot. "How are we—?" Mahaad didn't even get to finish his question before it was answered. There was a bridge that spanned the Nile for tourist purposes and Yami directed the chariot in that direction. Yami opened a portal to the Shadow Realm and they set off.

They reemerged on the outskirts of Memphis. The ride was bumpier than Ishizu would have liked. She kept having to brush strands of hair out of face, that threatened to obstruct her vision. They rode in silence for the most part and arrived at the _serapum_ and Yami slowed the chariot to a stop before getting off, and descending part way down into the tomb. "Where are they?" Ishizu asked. Almost as if on cue, two liquid puddles at their feet morphed into the recognizable human shapes of Carter and Zia. Carter and Zia had seen better days. Carter was dressed in tan shorts and a blue t shirt, while Zia was dressed in her combat fatigues. "Carter!" Yami helped him to his feet where he promptly threw up his breakfast.

Ishizu didn't do a very good job at hiding her disgust, as she covered her mouth. "Never again!" Zia cried obviously disturbed at their method of travel. "How did you get here?" Mahaad asked curiously. It was one method of magical transportation he wasn't familiar with. "We took Hapi pills," before Mahaad could respond, a voice from the top of the corridor rang out, "It was a lot of fun!" Mahaad spun around and glared at Setne, who looked immaculately clean, compared to the two, Nile soaked teens in front of the Pharaoh.

Setne looked like he could have given Bakura a run for his money. He was dressed in jeans, a sporty leather jacket, with a white shirt underneath. He had a large diamond encrusted _ankh_ hanging on a golden chain around his neck. Setne's perfect tennis shoes obviously didn't sit too well with Carter either and he promptly made his way over and retched all over them too—or would have if Setne had had a body. The ghost shrank back. "That's the thanks I get. I just helped you guys!" he whined. Carter's eye twitched. "Helped you how? Carter what is going on?" Yami demanded.

"We got attacked by a giant hippo and we were saved by Hapi," Carter recited. "Where's my credit?" Setne demanded. "I am the one who gave you the spell to summon Hapi. If it weren't for me you'd both be dead at the bottom of the Nile by now!" he said, his face flushing red with anger.

"Let's get going we're burning daylight! You're going to love this place!" Setne exclaimed. No one did. The group followed behind as he led the way down the stone steps. There was evidence of the modern world in the form of light bulbs and reinforced steel beams, that were supporting the caving ceiling. There were chambers either side of the main hallway every so often. Carter peered into one of them and noticed that the large scarcophagus was much too large to be human. "What is in here?" he asked. Mahaad shook his head. "These are the tombs of the Apis bulls," he said in a semi-annoyed tone, he usually used when Mana asked too many questions. "Apis bull?" Carter asked.

"They were sacred bulls dedicated to Osiris. They were seen as a representation of Osiris during important festivals," Ishizu picked up where Mahaad left off. Setne moved into one of the chambers and touched one of the stone sarcophagi. "These bulls got the royal treatment. They got all the food they could ever want. Every twenty-five years or so, one was killed in a big ceremony and buried like a pharaoh," Setne said. "I am the one who built this place for them," he said matter-of-factly. I hid the _Book of Thoth_ down here, because you would have to be completely crazy to steal it," he said.

Yugi phased out of the Puzzle and looked at the narrow corridor that surrounded them. His brows were furrowed in thought. /I wonder if Bakura could break in here?/ He wondered. Yami laughed darkly down their bond. /I'm sure he would have at least tried./

They followed the ghost deeper into the tomb. He led the group through a false wall. This part had not been excavated. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere. Zia lit her staff so they could see again, since there were no longer any electric lights.

Setne directed them to deactivate the many traps laced though the tomb. Having been the one who designed Yami's tomb, Mahaad was impressed with the sheer number of traps they had to deactivate. Setne did some of them himself using a command word, yet there were other times when he made Mahaad, Yami or Carter do them. All of them suspected he would find it quite funny if they all died in his home turf. Setne didn't make it any easier to concentrate; he kept giving all the details of a particular trap or spell. "That one would have made you blind…this one would have chopped your ears off!"

"Wonderful," Carter said sarcastically. They finally reached the end of the narrow corridor and found two statues of Osiris in a larger room. "I am going to have to cast a disenchantment spell to open this wall," Setne said. "It will take a few minutes. I can't have you freaking out on me, and binding me with the Ribbons of Hathor or anything else. Half finished spells are very dangerous," he wanted them. Mahaad narrowed his eyes, he knew that all too well, form his own experiences teaching Mana.

'I am warning you, Setne, I know what a proper disenchantment spell sounds like and I promise you I will destroy you if you attempt to betray us," Mahaad warned and his staff materialized in his right hand to give credence to his threat. Setne held up his hands. "Take it easy. Take it easy." Setne turned to face the wall and began chanting.

When Setne finished the spell the wall crumbled to dust revealing a circular room behind it. The walls were painted with scenes of Egyptians celebrating festivals, and waving palm branches as well as shaking sisturms. In the center of the room on a raised platform was a statue of a bull. It was carved so well it could have been alive. Mahaad got the creepy feeling he was being watched, and clutched his staff tighter. There was a golden cap drapped over his shoulders and he was wearning a crown with the sun disk and a cobra too.

Setne focused on Carter and pointed out how they were alike. "My father is Ramses II. My father was the greatest pharaoh to ever live. He built most of the temples in Egypt. Your father was a world renowned archaeologist, then he became a god. You and I are alike," Setne pointed out. "Enough of this!" Yami snapped, glaring at the ghost again. "Come on. You're no fun. Back in the old days Pharaoh during the Sed festival—" Yami took a step forward. "—I know. The Pharaoh would have a ritual contest with a bull—" But Sente wasn't listening. "They were contest of life and death," he finished.

Once he said death the bull started moving. "Setne!" The Pharaoh hissed angrily. "Call off your beast now!" Setne just laughed. "You guys have to distract the bull while I retrieve the book, or you'll get hit with a dozen different curses," he taunted. "Prove you are the true pharaoh Yugi! Win or die!" To Carter's surprise the Pharaoh perked up at the word win. /If we could turn this into a game…/ Yami thought as he herded the others ahead of him. Yugi was at his side, running as well. /How?/ The Pharaoh smirked. /We just have to distract it long enough for Setne to get the book. Yami instinctively reached for his Deck and began flipping through it.

The group kept running, hoping that the thick walls would stop the bull, but he ended up crashing through them anyways. They passed by what seemed like hundreds of Apis bulls. The bull was gaining on them and Ishizu pulled them down a corridor to their right and they ended up in another circular chamber, with a shaft of sunlight streaming down on them. There were more images of bulls being worshipped along the walls. "Crap!' Zia shrieked.

Yami stood in front of the group and smirked as he held up a card. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" To Carter and Zia's surprise, glowing white swords materialized in front of them, and the bull seemed really agitated now, and tried to paw his way through them, without success. "Now we need to figure out a plan," the Pharaoh said, looking at Mahaad, who nodded resolutely. "What are those?" Carter asked, gazing at the swords. "It is a spell that will temporarily delay our enemy," Mahaad explained vaguely.

"Now is our chance to launch a counter attack," Ishizu said, reaching for her Deck as well. "Go Mahaad!" The Pharaoh commanded. Mahaad was too happy to obey. He ran forward and blasted the bull with his signature Dark Magic Attack. It hit its target and appeared to cause some damage and chipped a chunk of black basalt from the bull's shoulder.

Before they could come up with a better plan the swords flickered and died. The bull snorted and charged at Mahaad, who cast another spell to protect himself. He and Yami were on the same brainwave and the two cried in union, "I activate Magical Hats!" Zia raised an eyebrow and Carter looked bewildered as four large black hats appeared concealing Mahaad. The bull was confused too, but shot a laser beam at the left most hat. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing there. The bull took aim again and destroyed the hat next to it. This one wasn't empty but contained a counter spell. "You've fallen into my trap, Spellbinding Circle!" Yami said, smirking. A circle of purple magic surrounded the bull, who bellowed loudly in protest.

Mahaad emerged from the hat next to it, and hovered several inches off the ground. The bull wasn't out of the game yet, even though he was weaker now. He took aim and shot a laser at Mahaad, who leapt out of the way, just in time. Yami was starting to show signs of being tired. He had beads of sweat forming on his forehead and wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve.

Carter stood there anxiously, and wishing that he could do something to help. But he couldn't summon his avatar, or he might collapse the whole room on top of them, and his sword was currently at the bottom of the River Nile. Zia shot a column of fire at the bull, but it didn't have any effect on the creature, much to her amazement. Yami had activated his duel disk and was examining his cards. "I summon Spiria!' Ishizu summoned her first monster to the field.

Mahaad looked at her gratefully as her blue skinned monster appeared next to him. "Attack!' Yami and Ishizu cried together, and their monsters obeyed, merging their attacks together. The bull was destroyed in a flash of light, and the shock wave sent everyone sprawling. Yami remained motionless for several seconds, before slowing opening his eyes. Mahaad was kneeling over him. "Are you alright?" he asked. Yami blinked a few times, his vision coming into sharper focus. "Yes," he said. Yami was sure he was going to have several bruises and minor cuts from his five foot skid across the floor.

He was the worse one though. The rest of the gang was pretty much unharmed, except for Carter's tennis shoes, they had melted in a stray blast from the bull. "That is bad luck," Zia said. They didn't waste any time and set off down the corridor, as the system began to collapse. They passed Setne coming out of the one of the tunnels. "I got the Book!" he said triumphantly, waving it in the air. "Great! Come on!" Carter yelled at him.

They made it back to the _Egyptian Queen_ , and Carter was distracted enough, that he mistakenly let Setne give Blood Stained Blade orders. "That was a rash decision Carter," Yami said as he leaned against the railing. Mahaad hovered nearby.

"Let's look at the Book!" Zia exclaimed. Setne grinned and opened the scroll. As he did so the grin slid off his face, and the papyrus dropped to the floor. Setne was shaking with fear or anger, Carter couldn't tell. "What?" Yami demanded irritably.

"This isn't the _Book of Thoth_!" Instead there was a long sheet of papyrus with a note written in demotic.

Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading this and please review!

Also Ehat think avatar


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Shipwrecked

"What?!" Sadie bellowed as she tore the papyrus from Setne's hands. The ghost blinked in confusion and shook his head. To Sadie's amazement, she scanned the lines of the text but to her dismay, discovered that she couldn't read them. "I can't read this!" She announced in a high pitch voice. This revelation shook Carter. Sadie had pretty much always been able to read everything they had come across, except for the names of the pharaohs protected inside the magical rope of a cartouche.

"Let me see," Mahaad said firmly and Sadie mutely handed him the note. "I can't believe this!" She ranted as he began to examine the writing. "This is in demotic," Mahaad noted. He made a disgusted face which was very uncharacteristic for him. "And _bad_ demotic. Whoever wrote this was poorly educated. This is horrible," he said. As soon as he finished reading, he allowed the papyrus to drop to the floor and his expression hardened, and he flared his nostrils in anger. "What did it say?" The Pharaoh commanded sharply. Mahaad meet his king's gaze. "It was a note written by none other than the Tomb Robber," he spat. Yami narrowed his eyes. "Mahaad, that is not possible. Bakura lived during our time and Ramses II and consequently his son, lived almost a hundred years after we did. How could he have stolen something like this?" Yami demanded.

"He was trapped in the Ring, the same time you were sealed. He used his influence on some new host apparently, and stole the _Book of Thoth_ ," Mahaad explained. For further emphasis he handed Yami the note and the king quickly read it over. The Kane siblings watched the interchange with interest. "Um, guys. What is going on? Who is the Tomb Robber?" Sadie asked, folding her arms. She didn't like being out of the loop. "I'll explain in a moment," the Pharaoh turned to look at her briefly before returning his attention to the magician. "The most important question remains, where is the Book now?" Mahaad turned to look at the papyrus still clutched in the Pharaoh's hands. "The Tomb Robber stole it and took it to a place he thought no one would ever find it again. He took it to Kul Elna," Mahaad said heavily.

Yami rubbed his temples, as a feeling of dread washed over him. /Kul Elna! That place gives me the creeps!/

/I know Yugi. I don't want to go back their either./ Yugi saw Yami's mental image of his father sacrificing himself so his son and others could escape. Yugi sent reassurance down the link.

/We'll beat this threat, just like we always do./

/Thank you, Yugi./

"We must head there at once," the Pharaoh said, even though it was clear he didn't want to go anywhere near that place. The Pharaoh handed Carter the sheet of papyrus, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, his knuckles white. "Couldn't we just summon the Thief and force him to get the Book for us?" Mahaad asked. The Pharaoh shook his head in response. "Bakura isn't someone who can be forced," Yami replied. Ishizu looked around them worriedly. "Carter, I'm only going to say this once. So listen up. The Thief, who stole the book, was a Tomb Robber who raided tombs during my reign as pharaoh. As punishment, he was sealed inside a golden object called the Ring. He, as a spirit was able to influence other people to do his bidding, including stealing the _Book of Thoth_."

"Carter's ship is still damaged. We'll have to drag it along behind us," Ishizu said, drawing everyone's attention. Carter summoned the captain of the _Egyptian Queen_ , and gave him orders to tie the _Queen_ to the Pharaoh's barge. The demon bowed and ran off to do as he was told.

"We have to be careful," Carter said as everyone started boarding the Pharaoh's ship. "Set told us that there were hundreds of demons in the water, looking for us. They want to stop us," he said as he looked out in the Nile's blue green waters uneasily. "We'll be alright Carter," Mahaad reassured from behind him. "How can you be so sure?" he asked the question on his mind, even surprising himself. Mahaad smiled. "Believe it or not, I've been in worse situations than this one at the moment," he said smiling faintly. Carter looked a bit more hopeful. "You'll have to tell me sometime." Mahaad nodded. "I would love to," he affirmed. A sudden thought occurred to the teen. "If the Pharaoh was reincarnated into a Japanese boy, how did you get here?" Mahaad was spared from giving his reply, by the Pharaoh. "Mahaad, I need your help." The spiky haired teen was struggling to lift the gangplank and Mahaad rushed to his side to help him.

The ship set off and Mahaad took up his place at the back, steering with the oar. Ishizu stood a few feet away gazing over the side, at the calm current that was carrying them along. It was picture perfect and they should have known it was too good to last.

Without warning the wind picked up and the water began to churn beneath them. "What is going on?" Sadie demanded. Setne just cackled. "Look at the bright side, you'll die before Doomsday!. It is really a fun experience!' Setne said. "Shut up!" Carter snarled at the ghost. Yami took charge and began giving Mahaad orders, since he actually understood how a ship was supposed to operate. But as their luck would have it, the storm kept getting worse. The rain started pouring over the boat, making the deck wet and soaking all of them to the bone.

Ishizu and the others began bailing water out with a few empty clay jars they found on board. "Throw everything that isn't necessary off board!" Yami ordered. They began throwing all of the extra boxes and random other things over the side of the ship to lighten the load. The ship was still taking on water. All of the sudden it all seemed lost. "We're sinking!" Sadie shrieked over the howling wind. "Hold on!" The Pharaoh cried, almost yelling himself hoarse so he could be heard above the roar of the wind.

The boat got lower and lower in the water until it sank. Everyone was thrown into the water. The Pharaoh surfaced and started treading water, anxiously scanning the turbulent water for signs of his friends. The Pharaoh's blood ran cold as he saw something scaly in the water below him. A demon might have helped their ship to go down. Sadie surfaced next, and then the others emerged a few moments later. Setne looked miffed at their situation. "That was stupid! Look what you did, our boat sank!" he ranted.

Suddenly a giant wave loomed over them. Mahaad's heart was gripped with fear as the huge wave came down on top of them. He struggled against the water pushing him down, but he began to lose conciseness. He vision began to fade to black and he knew no more.

Mahaad opened his eyes slowly and saw the Pharaoh standing over him. Mahaad turned on his side and threw up the water that was in his stomach. He still looked a little green. "Are you alright?' the Pharaoh asked him, helping the magician into a sitting position. "What are we?" Mahaad asked in shock as he looked around at the sandy beach around him. There was no sign of the storm that had arisen so suddenly, and almost killed them all. "I don't know," Ishizu answered him from Mahaad's left side and she made her way over to him. Carter and Sadie were getting a better look at their surroundings; Zia was wringing the water out of her hair. Setne looked out at the water before them with a forlorn expression, pouting and lamenting the fact that they all hadn't all just died.

"I don't know,"Ishizu answered him. "But it appears we are on an island," she asserted. They spent the next little while scouting out the interior of the island. They found some food and water to their delight. "I feel like I'm in the Shadow Realm," Mahaad told the Pharaoh in Egyptian, from the back of the pack. That instantly made the Pharaoh nervous and he looked around at the surrounding trees as if something might attack them. "I feel like time flows differently here, than it does in the mortal realm. The way the storm came out of nowhere does not bode well for ma'at," the magician explained. The Pharaoh nodded to show he heard.

The sun was in a different position than it had been when they had first emerged from the _serapum_. It was now low in the sky. "We have no choice but to set up camp. We can't find our boat or build a new one in the dark," Carter acknowledged. Mahaad was too polite to point out that their chances of finding either boat were slim, considering the fact that the Pharaoh's barge had sunk. They didn't know the fate of the _Egyptian Queen._ The others reluctantly agreed to set up camp. Zia watched Setne like a hawk as they set out gathering supplies. Soon Mahaad had a nice campfire going. Yami was in charge of gathering food while Carter and Sadie set up a hut for them to stay in for the night. The Pharaoh came back with an armful of fruit he had picked. "Yugi said he wanted some figs, pomegranates, and grapes" the Pharaoh said by way of explanation.

Carter switched and took guard duty from Zia who went into the trees to gather more fruit for their group to eat. The Pharaoh sent Mahaad to find some water. The priest found some and brought it back in a clay vessel that had survived the trip with them. "The spring is just a little ways into the tree line," he reported as he set the pitcher down near the campfire. He sat down near the Pharaoh and Ishizu who were warming themselves by the fire. "This unsettles me," Ishizu admitted. "There is just something odd about this place. We get shipwrecked and land on an island paradise. It sounds too good to be true." Mahaad nodded as his blue eyes swept over their surroundings. "I know. It unsettles me as well. But it has to be for some reason that this happened to us. It is the gods' will for us," Mahaad said. Ishizu nodded, not as confident as Mahaad was at this conclusion.

As the blackness of the night overtook them, the others came back from gathering food and they ate dinner together. Everyone with the exception of Setne was given some grapes, two pomegranates and several figs. Mahaad was happy that this was all food he not only recognized but actually enjoyed. Even after the meal was finished, he sucked on some of the pomegranate seeds and savored the taste that still clung to his mouth.

Everyone else turned in to go to bed. "With my Pharaoh's permission, I would like to stand guard and update the star charts," Mahaad said, looking at the teen for permission. The Pharaoh was currently reclining on the beach, with his hands interlaced behind his head. At Mahaad's words, he cracked an eye open, and smiled playfully. "How can you stand guard if you are busy updating the charts?" he asked. The Pharaoh didn't give him a chance to say anything. "I will help you with the charts. Everyone else should get some sleep," he said. Carter and Zia were grateful. "Besides someone needs to keep an eye on Setne," Zia said. The ghost didn't say anything in response. Setne just laid down at the end of the row after he combed his hair for the last time.

The two Egyptians remained awake as everyone else drifted off. Even Yugi went to sleep in his soul room. Mahaad removed the papyrus he needed from the _Duat_ as well as an ink palette and a reed pen. "If we can get a good read on where the stars are, we should be able to figure out where we are," Mahaad explained. "You mean, you don't think we are on the Nile?" Yami asked, in surprise. Mahaad shook his head. "We should be able to see the banks of the Nile on either side of us, but there is nothing but water," Mahaad said darkly. "That is true, but how could we have gotten here?"

"Someone sent us here, and I think we are going to find out soon, the reason behind it."

Mahaad pulled out a plumb line from his bag, and the Pharaoh extended his hand and Mahaad mutely handed it over. The Pharaoh held it up so Mahaad would have a straight line to use while he made his calculations. They worked for about two hours. "You should go to sleep my king. You need your rest," Mahaad encouraged. Yami was tired enough, he didn't protest. "I will, but you will wake me up in two hours when your watch is over," the Pharaoh responded and walked away to join the others in the makeshift hut. True to his word, two hours later Mahaad gently shook the Pharaoh, who stirred and sat up before joining Mahaad on the beach.

"I will stay up with you my king," Mahaad said. "No," the Pharaoh said flatly. Mahaad looked crestfallen. "Mahaad, there are four watches, and we only discussed you and I staying up for them. I won't have you stay away all night. You need sleep too. I will wake you up after my watch is over. Now go to bed," the Pharaoh said firmly. Mahaad looked like he might say something but decided against it. He simply inclined his head respectfully, and went and laid down. It seemed like only a few minutes before Yami shook Mahaad awake. "I'm sorry to disturb you my friend, but it is time." Mahaad smiled weakly and took his Pharaoh's place standing guard. "I will wake Lady Ishtar for the final watch, my Pharaoh," Mahaad said, unwilling to let his king only get four hours of sleep. "We didn't discuss this with her before," the Pharaoh said frowning. "I know, but she wouldn't want you to get so little sleep." The Pharaoh humored the magician with a smile. "Mahaad, Yugi is a teenage boy. He doesn't get very much sleep to begin with. But I can see that you want to be alone with Ishizu, so I will relent and let you wake her up," he said smiling mischievously before walking away, leaving a blushing priest behind.

Mahaad woke Ishizu four hours later. She stirred and her eyes fluttered. Upon seeing Mahaad kneeling next to her, she slowly sat up and looked around. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "Yes, I was just hoping you could take the last watch. Pharaoh offered to take another one, but I talked him out of it," Mahaad made a face. "I'm sure that must have been hard. The Pharaoh isn't one to be easily dissuaded," she said. Mahaad brushed it off, with a wave of his hand. Ishizu joined him on the beach a few feet away from camp and they sat together in the sand. Mahaad moved closer to Ishizu and put his arm around her. She cuddled up to him in response, both enjoying the warmth that the other provided.

Ishizu grabbed his hand and interlaced her long slender fingers with his. His hands were bigger than hers and he grasped hers too. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close to him. They could feel the other's heartbeat, at odds with the other. Mahaad relaxed, and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment on the beach with her.

"I am glad the Pharaoh gave you his permission," Ishizu whispered. "Me too," Mahaad agreed. They remained in one another's arms for awhile. "I had better get some more sleep. Pharaoh will be displeased with me if he finds out I disobeyed him and stayed up," Mahaad said sadly. Ishizu gave him a reassuring squeeze through their clasped hands. "I understand. Go. We don't want to deal with an angry Pharaoh in the morning," she coaxed him. As he moved to stand up, she stood with him.

Ishizu didn't drop his hand, but she stepped closer to him, and stepped on her tiptoes. She could see his warm kind expression as he looked at her fondly. She gave him a peck on the cheek, before stepping back and releasing his hand. "Good night, Mahaad," she said. "Good night," he replied. As he walked back to their hut, he touched the spot where Ishizu had kissed him and smiled before laying down and closing his eyes.

The world might end in a few days, but would die a happy man, if it did.

He didn't want to get up the next morning when the sun rose. He shut his eyes tighter against the offending light. "Mahaad, it is time to get up," Yami's voice broke through his thoughts. Mahaad opened his eyes and discovered to his horror that everyone else was already awake and eating breakfast. He quickly got up and apologized for oversleeping. " _Ur hehen wenwetw uja_? How late did you stay up?" the Pharaoh asked casually as he handed the magician his rations for breakfast. " _Pesesh het res_ ," Until halfway through the last watch," he admitted. The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes in displeasure. " _Pa hebed wi_. This displeases me,"

" _Mer-ib-eni Per-aai_ ," Have compassion on me, my Pharaoh. Mahaad hung his head. " _Iry_ , Yes. _Hetepi Mahaad. em-Heper ky ahaw_ ," I will have compassion Mahaad. Do not let it happen again. The Pharaoh had used command form with him, and Mahaad knew it. " _Iry, Per-aai_ ," Yes, my Pharaoh.

" _Ki set heper, Ink hesefek_. If it happens, I will punish you."

"Iry Per-aai."

They walked in silence for awhile. No one else talked either as they ventured further inland. They passed by a lot of food which made Mahaad uneasy again. "We should offer sacrifice," Mahaad said randomly. Ishizu who was walking next to him, looked at him. "We could have been killed yesterday," Yami nodded his agreement. "We should. Gather some fruit and we'll take it back to the beach." They did and Mahaad lit a new fire, claiming that the one they had used the previous night wasn't fit for burnt offerings.

Mahaad took some of the food they had collected and carefully put it in the flames. The assembled group watched as the flames licked it and eventually consumed it. Even Setne was impressed. None of them were prepared for what happened next. There was a rumbling sound that shook the ground under them, causing all of them to fall to the ground. The trees waved in the wind like paper. "What is going on?" Sadie demanded. No one answered her. The wind was too strong.

All at once the shaking stopped, and the group found themselves face to face with a very long snake. It was made of gold and had lapis lazuli for eyes and eyebrows, it also had a beard. Mahaad remained on the ground although he shifted his position into a more respectful bow. The Pharaoh knelt as well. He recognized the serpent, as he was sure Mahaad, and Setne did as well. "What is that?/" Zia asked. The question raked across the Pharaoh's ears, and he felt his stomach tighten. That was a massive breech in protocol to speak out of turn. The serpent snorted. "Silence mortal," the ground shook slightly at the power of his voice. Zia wisely shut up. "What brought you here?" the serpent demanded. None of them answered him. The serpent hissed in displeasure. "I will ask you only one more time. What has brought you here? Why are you on my island?" The Pharaoh tried to control his nerves as he spoke. "My lord, we were brought here by a wave of the sea. We did not intend to intrude on your domain," the Pharaoh said, his eyes still fixed on the ground at his feet. There was silence for a moment while the serpent considered this. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Pharaoh of Egypt," Yami replied calmly. The snake hissed in surprise. "I remember one of your people came to my island a long time ago, Pharaoh. He promised to remember me. Can you tell me how he well he kept his promise?" the snake asked. The Pharaoh snuck a look at Mahaad who was unhelpfully fully prostrate, and was thus not able to catch the Pharaoh's eye. The Pharaoh closed his eyes and a memory came over him.

In the memory Mahaad was seated with him in the library, with a scroll unrolled on his lap. Mahaad was reciting the Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor, for his homework. The Pharaoh fondly remembered Mahaad's soothing voice recounting the tale of the Sailor. Yami thought to the end of the story, where he hadn't paid much attention. The man had returned to Egypt and been rewarded by the king, he hadn't really paid attention if the serpent had even received his end of the deal.

"Yes, you were honored in Egypt," the Pharaoh replied. The snake nodded. "So I was," the snake confirmed. The snake looked at the rest of the group and his gaze rested on Setne. "What is the ghost doing here?" the snake demanded angrily. The Pharaoh knew that he and everyone else had to be very careful or they might never make it off this island. "He is a prisoner given to us by Lord Osiris. He is helping us locate the _Book of Thoth_." Yami explained.

"It is too dangerous for mortals to have the _Book of Thoth_. Perhaps this is why you were brought to my island so that I could destroy you," the snake said. "I could make to become ashes," he said in a contemplative voice. "My lord, I do not wish to know myself," Mahaad replied without raising his head. The snake hissed. "That is the same thing the Sailor said to me, the first time. You are wise, _nejes_. Little man. I think I will have mercy on all of you. I believe your story," he said.

Mahaad could hardly believe their luck. "I will aid you in the fight you have ahead of you with the Evil Serpent," the snake god said. "Thank you, my lord," Yami said fervently. "I will even send you where you need to go. I now you are going to the accursed thieves' village of Kul Elna. I will take you there." As custom dictated, they were all given provisions for the journey. The snake blew out his breath over them and they promptly passed out.

When Mahaad awoke, he found himself on the west bank of the Nile. The first thing he noticed, is that the felt like they were back in the mortal world. Time was flowing normally again. It was still early morning and the sun was in front of them, as they were on the west bank of the Nile. The thieves had been cursed not only because they robbed tombs, but they lived in the realm of the dead themselves.

The ruins of the village lay behind them. Mahaad turned around and he was instantly nervous. The place had unsettled him the first time he had been here, but now it made him even more nervous. He knew that one of the most powerful books ever written was somewhere in the accursed city of thieves. They would not give up their secrets easily. The buildings themselves were still miraculously partially intact, even after all the years that had passed. Even the ruins at Amarna had collapsed more than these had. That further unsettled Mahaad, the ruins really were cursed.

Yami gathered everyone together and the urged them to move cautiously forward. They had no idea what they might encounter, and it was unspoken among them, that they were walking head first into a very dangerous trap.

Author's Notes;

Please review! I like knowing what you guys think about this story, and I'm open to suggestions!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Kane Chronicles!

Chapter 12: Confrontation

Mahaad was nervous as they made their way into the eerie remains of what had once housed a village of many thieves. His blue eyes swept the decaying buildings around them. He, as always kept one eye on his pharaoh, watching his back carefully. Even Zia knew something evil had occurred here even if she didn't know all of the details.

"This place feels so evil," Zia remarked her eyes shifting nervously as she gripped her staff in her right hand. Carter, who was walking beside her, nodded in agreement. Setne tried to look apathetic but he combed his hair nervously. The Pharaoh led the informal procession to the center of the village. Ishizu hovered near Mahaad, her blue eyes filled with concern. Mahaad caught her eye and flashed her a reassuring smile. The Pharaoh suddenly stopped in his tracks and as he did so an arrow whizzed through the air, barely missing him by mere inches and embedding itself in the crumbling wall to his left. Carter and Zia turned to look at the source of the arrow and discovered a rag tag army of skeletons holding various weapons ranging from staves, and clubs to rusty metal swords.

Mahaad who had had the most experience on the battlefield reacted first. He moved out from behind the Pharaoh and stood proudly in front of him shielding his king from harm. He didn't remain inactive for long. He quickly summoned a composite bow of his own and holding three arrows in his left hand fired all three at the enemy archer in fewer than two seconds. Even though Zia still had adrenaline pumping through her body, she exclaimed, "Remind me to never get on his bad side." The archer fell, three arrows protruding through his chest. Setne scoffed. "I could have done better," but everyone ignored him as they were too busy with the now rapidly advancing army of skeletons.

"What do they want?" Zia demanded at no one in particular. Neither of the Egyptians answered her. Yami instantly began giving orders to Mahaad and Ishizu. "Mahaad, give your bow to Isis. Isis defend the rear of the group-" Mahaad mutely handed his bow over, and Ishizu moved to obey providing rear cover. "-Mahaad you and I will cover the front. We will retreat down that stairwell over there," he pointed to a set of broken stairs a few hundred feet away. Mahaad nodded and summoned his familiar teal green staff and allowed a smirk to form on his face as he twirled his staff playfully. Yami summoned a _khopesh_ of his own and took up a defensive stance as the skeletons approached them.

Carter stood in awe of how efficiently the Pharaoh gave his orders. There was no room for argument or question. Mahaad and Ishizu obeyed, trusting in their king's plan. Carter and Zia summoned their own weapons a _khopesh_ and magician's staff respectively. Zia moved to help Ishizu defend the group from the rear while Carter moved to the front to help Mahaad and Yami.

Mahaad gripped his staff tightly and fired his signature Dark Magic Attack. " _Senket Heka Amem!_ " A green orb of light shot out of his staff and hit several of the skeletons throwing up a cloud of dust causing the Pharaoh to shield his eyes as he started coughing. When the smoke cleared the attack had destroyed several of them but many more remained.

The skeleton warriors roared in retaliation and charged at the group of magicians.

Mahaad fired several Dark Magic Attacks at them as the Pharaoh readied his _khopesh_. The Pharaoh wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his left hand and tasted the salty tang of his sweat; his sweat glistening in the sun. He swung his sword in an upward arc and caught his opponent's sword mid swing. He parried it off to the side and hit the man with butt of his sword, making him stagger backward a few steps. Yami's lips curled into his trademark smirk.

Carter looked at the two Egyptians fighting beside him, and he resolved to do more than just stand there with a sword. He didn't understand why the Pharaoh all the sudden seemed somewhat reluctant to use his magic, especially when it had helped out so much in the _serapum_. But now wasn't the time for questions. Carter closed his eyes and tried to focus hard on the magic within himself. It was harder now, that Horus had chosen another host, but he managed to summon his hawk avatar with some effort.

The ten foot tall Horus avatar encased Carter within it, and mirrored his movements. Carter felt as if he was walking through thick water, but his new appearance made some of the skeletons turn their attention to him. To his dismay however, most of them remained concentrated on Yami.

Mahaad was doing a good job at defending his king. He unconsciously hovered a few inches from the ground. He sent a few more Dark Magic Attacks into the army in front of him, shattering several skeletons, but there were many more advancing. More than he could handle by himself. Mahaad moved closer to the Pharaoh, hoping that proximity would make the undead in front of him wary, but it didn't work. They seemed to have one objective, to destroy the Pharaoh.

Yami gritted his teeth as he exchanged blows with another skeleton. He wasn't used to being the one at such an obvious disadvantage away from the dueling field. But he knew this wasn't the end, so he needed to save his strength for later. He landed what would have been a fatal blow on a mortal man, but the skeleton just shrugged it off, readjusting its head. Mahaad turned slightly and saw what had happened and sent a Dark Magic Attack and the skeleton turned to dust. The Pharaoh gave Mahaad a curt nod, before raising his sword to block an incoming headshot. The Pharaoh hadn't seen it in time and his enemy's blade grazed his arm. The Pharaoh grimaced as a trickle of warm blood began running down his arm. He tried his best to ignore the shooting pain, and swung his sword again, thrusting it threw one skeleton's rib cage.

"Are you alright, my Pharaoh?" Mahaad asked, startling the teen. "Yes, I will be alright. Don't worry about me," the Pharaoh said firmly. Mahaad looked a bit uncertain but didn't argue. Both of them were soon locked into combat yet again. Carter quickly scanned the area as best he could without turning his head too much. There seemed to be more skeletons pouring out of the alleyway to their right, blocking their path to the stairwell. "Couldn't we just retreat the way we came?" Carter asked. Mahaad turned and glared at him. Now was not the time. "No, that stairwell is important," Mahaad countered. Carter sighed heavily and reengaged with the enemy, trying to clear a path to the indicated stairwell, which was proving more difficult as time moved on. Carter realized that Yami had known all along that they weren't going to beat this enemy and that their best option was to retreat.

Their little band had only moved a few feet in the last ten minutes of fighting. From the rear of the group, Zia and Ishizu were making more of a tag team than the men were. Zia had to admit, she had no idea that Ishizu was so good with a bow. Zia had always secretly thought of the bow as a primitive weapon; now she was awed and scared by the implications of what Ishizu could do. She had also been reserved when Ishizu had joined their group, because she had no obvious signs of weaponry. She had also seemed delicate and graceful. Zia had worried that combat would destroy her, but the resolve in her eyes now, indicated she had seen more horrors than Zia had previously thought.

Ishizu was as good of an archer if not better than Mahaad was. She launched several arrows at a time in rapid succession. The enemy hadn't been able to advance much, and surround them as they had tried several times, because Zia burned the skeletons as soon as they fell. Once they fell, they didn't rise again.

In the front of the group Mahaad cast another spell. " _Mau-hir ineb_!" _Mirror Wall!_ A wall of energy appeared in front of them forcing the enemy backwards a few paces. Mahaad clenched his teeth in concentration as the effort of maintaining the large spell began to take its toll. He could buy them a few minutes at best. Yami looked at him gratefully, before moving to quickly examine his now bloodied arm. After a moment or two of catching their breath, the Pharaoh spoke. "Let the shield down. It is draining you too quickly. You'll need your strength for the battle ahead." Mahaad reluctantly ended the spell, and the invisible barrier disappeared.

This time the Pharaoh cast a spell of his own. "Swords of Revealing Light!" Several swords pierced the air and surrounded the enemy. "You use that a lot don't you?' Carter asked. Mahaad smiled, it was one of the Pharaoh's more well-known strategies. Carter decided to help and said, " _Taz_ " Carter threw a piece of rope toward the stalled enemy. The rope sailed through the air and bound several of the skeletons together, who waved their swords in frustration as they tried to free themselves.

Yami smiled at that.

"Retreat!" the Pharaoh commanded forcefully. He led the way to the stairs, dodging a few bodies as he made a sprint for the stairs. The rest of the group followed behind him, as they made their escape. Ishizu and Zia brandished their weapons at the skeletons as they descended down the stairs. "Where are we?" Zia asked, her eyes not used to the almost pitch black darkness they were now enveloped by.

"We are in a lot of danger," the Pharaoh's voice echoed off the walls. " _A'max!_ " _Burn!_ Mahaad lit the torches that lined the walls, casting the room in an eerie glow.

/I recognize this place! This is where we fought Bakura!/ Yami nodded. /Yes, we must be careful./

There wasn't much in the room except for a raised dias that contained the Millennium Stone. Zia walked over to examine it. "It looks likes objects fit in these holes…" she trailed off, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration.

"How very clever of you," a new voice said from behind them. The Pharaoh spun on his heel and turned in time to see a white haired thief detach himself from the wall. His brown eyes glittered menacingly in the torchlight, his hair sticking out at odd angles. He was dressed in his usual clothing, a blue and white striped shirt, light blue jacket and jeans. The Millennium Ring glittered prominently on his chest. He folded his arms, threw back his head and laughed, before stepping out of the shadows.

Yami glared daggers at the newcomer. "What do you want Tomb Robber?!" Mahaad snarled, brandishing his staff threateningly. Bakura laughed again.

"I don't answer to you," Bakura snapped. "Some people just don't know when to die. You and your precious Pharaoh are like pesky, annoying cockroaches. And Mahaad, you of all people should know what I want. Was your death, so forgettable, that you don't remember our last battle?" Mahaad glared in response.

Yami stepped forward. "Enough of this Bakura! Where is the _Book of Thoth_?"

"You really think I would send my people after you, and then just tell you where it is? You have gotten lazy as well as senile in your old age Pharaoh. I stole it because it was the ultimate challenge to my thieving skills! I stole from the gods themselves!" When Bakura laughed again, Zia shrank back a little, the intensity in his aura, disturbed her. She didn't think he was completely sane.

"Pharaoh we duel for the Millennium Items!" Bakura stretched out his arm, and revealed a duel disk attached to his arm. "Why would I duel you?" Yami demanded.

"You know if you don't, I will target your friends, like I did in the past. Isn't that right Mahaad?' Bakura asked shifting his gaze to the magician.

"Leave them out of this, Bakura! You should be fighting against Apophis not for him!"

"When will you learn that chaos is more powerful than ma'at?"

The Pharaoh took a step forward and summoned his own duel disk from the _Duat_. "You want a duel Bakura? This is one you are sure never to forget!" the Pharaoh vowed, as the wings on his disk unfolded. 

" _Diaha_!" _Duel!_ both of them shouted. Mahaad moved to his king's side. "What are you doing?" Zia demanded. Mahaad turned to look at her. "Search the room for the book," he ordered, without answering her question.

Bakura didn't waste any time, and quickly summoned his _ka_ , Diabound. The large snake like creature rose from the floor and roared loudly. "Mahaad!" The Pharaoh called, and Mahaad took his position in front of his king, his clothing changing to that of the Dark Magician. Mahaad felt even more at home in his familiar purple armor that protected him like a loving embrace.

Bakura wasted no time going on the offensive. "Diabound, attack with Helical Shock Wave!" The serpent demon stretched out is hands and shot a beam of energy at Mahaad, who jumped out of the way in time, although he still felt the heat from the attack, brush against his skin.

"Mahaad, cast spellbinding circle!" the Pharaoh ordered. Mahaad obeyed and soon Diabound was surrounded by a ring of magic, weakening him. Bakura drew a card and laughed again, before adding it to his hand. "Here is a card I think you might recognize, Mahaad. I heard it was used on you once before. I play Nightmare Chains!"

Mahaad screamed in horror as chains shot out from the card and bound him to a cross, removing him from play. He struggled, against his restraints and gave Bakura a death glare. "You will pay for that!" he vowed in a low, dangerous voice.

"Nothing would please me more, Mahaad, than to destroy your master and force you to watch, as I condemn him to an eternity in the Shadow Realm! Now Pharaoh, with no monsters in play, you are wide open for an attack. Diabound attack His Majesty directly!" A scream was ripped from the Pharaoh's throat as the attack hit him, shoving him back several feet. He swayed dangerously on his feet before regaining his balance. "My king! Are you alright?" Mahaad asked the concern evident in his voice.

The Pharaoh drew again, and when he looked at the card, his heart sank. Pot of Greed…? That was next to useless right now. He needed a plan quickly, or he would fail.

/Yami!/ The Pharaoh started and looked to his right where Yugi stood looking at him earnestly in spirit form. /There is someone here to see you./

/Did I hit my head, harder than I thought. That doesn't make any sense, Yugi…/ Nevertheless, the Pharaoh closed his eyes and went to the Millennium Puzzle, to the corridor between the soul rooms. To his surprise, there was someone there. He had the head of a falcon, and was dressed for war. He wore a leather breastplate, and a khopesh was tied to the side of his ornate kilt. It could only be one person…couldn't it. The Pharaoh tried to make sense of what was going on, but he was so confused, maybe he had been hit harder than he thought.

"I am Horus. I am here to aid you in this fight. Without my help, you will die Pharaoh," the god stated simply. The Pharaoh's muddled mind also registered that he had been worried about something else…no someone else. There had been purple…a lot of purple. The Pharaoh's eyes snapped opened in alarm. "I have to help Mahaad!" He stumbled forward and almost lost his balance. Yugi steadied him and eyed him with concern.

"Allow me to help," Horus said, and without waiting for a response, he extended his hand and a green _ankh_ symbol appeared in his palm. He pressed the _ankh_ to the Pharaoh, who closed his eyes and allowed the magic of the _ankh_ to wash over him. He inhaled deeply and felt his strength returning to him.

When the god finished the incantation, Yami wasn't even aware he had begun, they exchanged determined glances. "Let's defeat Bakura," Yami said, voicing the feelings of both his partner Yugi and Horus.

Author's Notes:

I got two reviews last chapter! You guys inspire to write faster, thank you!

Please review and let me know what you think! I'm open to suggestions and constructive criticism!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Kane Chronicles!

Chapter 13: Duel Part 1

The Pharaoh opened his eyes and gave Bakura a death glare. "This duel is just beginning!" he vowed. Bakura just laughed in response. "You almost lost due to your trip down memory lane!" he taunted. The Pharaoh looked at the remaining cards in his hand, and selected the cards to play. He set a monster on the field in defense mode. "I play Jack's Knight in defense mode!" A Knight wearing armor appeared on the field, kneeling in defense mode. Yami did another quick calculation, the last attack had cost him a lot. He only had 2,200 life points left. He would have to be careful. "I play one face down card and end my turn!' The Pharaoh announced, a card appearing on the field behind the Knight.

"Is that the best you got Pharaoh?" Bakura sneered. "This duel won't last long, now will it? I will place a facedown monster on the field, and attack your Jack's Knight with Diabound's Helical Shock Wave!" Diabound gathered another ball of energy and sent it careening toward the Knight. Mahaad was proud that the Jack's Knight stared the attack down and didn't let his fear show, as he was blasted into dust. The Pharaoh covered his eyes from the blast. Mahaad shifted his focus to the others in the room. Ishizu was looking at him steadfastly, her hands balled up in fists. He smiled faintly at her. The others were looking around for any sign of the Book of Thoth, but so far hadn't been able to find any sign of its existence.

"My move!" The Pharaoh's commanding voice, brought Mahaad's attention back to the duel. "I play pot of greed, which allows me to draw two cards." Bakura looked bored. "I'm not an armature, Pharaoh! I know how the game is played!" The Pharaoh closed his eyes in concentration and prayed to Horus that he would draw the cards he needed. It was odd to have the deity so close. He felt the reassurance of the god, as he drew the top two cards from his Deck. Mahaad was more on edge than he normally was during duels. He could normally orchestrate when he and the other monsters knew the Pharaoh needed to draw a certain card. But now, he was neither in the graveyard, nor on the field. He hadn't felt so helpless for a long time. He thought back to the horrendous duel with Arkana, and shuddered.

Yami drew the cards and added them to his hand. "I'll play Dust Tornado and get rid of the chains binding my Magician! Return to me Mahaad!" Mahaad was so overcome with relief, he almost didn't hear the rest of his king's order. The Dark Magician pushed off the cross and propelled himself back to the field. He landed in front of the Pharaoh and brandished his staff at Bakura threateningly. "I also play Gazelle king of Mythical Beasts in attack mode." The beast appeared on the field and roared angrily at Bakura. "Now Mahaad attack Bakura's facedown monster with Dark Magic Attack!" Yami ordered. Mahaad was eager to obey. He twirled his staff and sent a ball of dark energy toward the facedown monster. "Not so fast! I flip summon Man Eater Bug. Your precious magician is destroyed!" Bakura snarled. "Good luck, my king!" Mahaad cried as he was destroyed.

"I'll play one card facedown, and then have Diabound attack your Gazelle," Yami waited until the serpentine monster was almost upon him before revealing his own facedown card. "I reveal Spellbinding Circle. It reduces the attack strength of your monster!" There was a glint of triumph in the Pharaoh's expression, as Diabound was destroyed instead, brining Bakura's life points down to 3,400.

"I activate Monster Reborn and bring my Dark Magician back to the field!" Mahaad reappeared, his arms folded across his chest defiantly. "Mahaad attack Bakura's Man Eater Bug!" The Magician sent a vicious attack at Bakura, who threw up his arm to shield himself from the attack, as he lost a large chunk of his life points. Bakura was breathing heavily now and struggled to stand upright. "Give up Bakura! It doesn't have to end like this!" The Pharaoh promised. Bakura just wiped a thin trickle of blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Never Pharaoh."

Seeing the Thief's blood, made the pain in the Pharaoh's arm throb, but he tried to ignore the pain and focus on the task at hand.

Bakura drew and summoned Souls of the Forgotten to the field in attack mode. /What is he planning?/

The Pharaoh furrowed his brow in confusion. /I'm not sure, Yugi. We are going to have to be careful./

/We always are./ Yami smiled at Yugi's cheerful confidence. It did a lot to boost his spirits, in the oppressive mist that hung in the air, like thick fog.

"Gazelle attack Souls of the Forgotten!" the Pharaoh ordered. This reduced Bakura's remaining life points even farther, to a mere 750. "I also play this monster in facedown," the Pharaoh announced, before ending his turn.

Bakura drew. "I play Headless Knight in attack mode, attack the Pharaoh's facedown monster!" Bakura commanded. A shadow of Kuriboh appeared before being destroyed by the Knight's sword. "You insult me by playing such a weak monster?!" Bakura's eye twitched and the on lookers were again reminded that the white haired thief standing in front of them was probably not sane. "I place a card facedown and end my turn," Bakura finished.

From his position on the field, Mahaad scanned the rest of the underground chamber. The other magicians had been searching the room since the duel began and had turned up nothing. Mahaad just hoped they could find the Book of Thoth and get out of there.

He did _not_ like Kul Elna.

Author's Notes:

Sorry it has taken me so long to update and that this chapter is so short! This was hard for me to write. I hope I did alright, writing my first duel. I've never played the game, just watched the dub of the anime.

Please review and let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Kane Chronicles!

Chapter 14: Duel part 2

The Pharaoh drew another card from the top of his Deck, and added it to his hand. Seven Tools of the Bandit.

"Mahaad, attack Bakura's Headless Knight! End this madness!" the Pharaoh ordered. There was a gleam of satisfaction in the magician's eyes as he launched his signature attack at the Knight. The Knight dissolved into thousands of tiny particles, and Bakura shielded his eyes from the blast.

Dread washed over the Pharaoh, when the attack had fully dissipated and Bakura's facedown card was now visible.

/Yami, I want to face Bakura. He thinks I am weak, even after I beat him in the Memory World./

/Alright. But be careful, Yugi./

The Pharaoh closed his eyes and the two souls switched places. Bakura threw back his head and laughed. "So, I not only get two thousand life points this turn, but I also have the pleasure of knowing that the Pharaoh was too much of a coward to face me. He had to send his little runt of a host to fight me. Well, he will pay dearly for that mistake won't he?"

Bakura drew a card. "I play Earl of Demise in attack mode, and to speed things along. I'll even be gracious enough to end my turn." Bakura flashed a sinister smile at the shorter duelist. Mahaad gripped his staff tighter and narrowed his eyes.

"Then I will start by summoning Gamma the Magnet Warrior to the field in attack mode. And I'll have my Dark Magician destroy your Earl of Demise with Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi ordered, pointing at the offending monster. Mahaad was all too happy to obey and sent an attack speeding toward the fiend. The Earl screamed as he was destroyed and sent to the card graveyard. "That ends my turn," Yugi stated.

"I place one card facedown to start off. Then I will remove three fiends from my graveyard. I choose my Headless Knight, Souls of the Forgotten, and Earl of Demise, in order to summon my Dark Necofear! Your move runt," Bakura sneered.

"I place one card facedown. Dark Magician, attack his Dark Necrofear!" Yugi ordered. Mahaad flew to the other side of the field, and launched an attack. "Not so fast! I activate my facedown card, Dark Spirit of the Silent! This trap allows me to stop your attack, which forces another monster on your side of the field to do battle with my monster. Since you only have one other monster, it appears that your Gamma the Magnet Warrior is going to the graveyard!" Yugi watched in horror as Bakura's words proved true. He threw his hand up to cover his face as his tiny warrior exploded. Yugi could feel the drain of the Shadow Realm more acutely now. He needed to finish this duel quickly.

"I play my Portrait's Secret in attack mode, and end my turn."

"I will begin by activating my facedown card, Dedication through Light and Darkness. This card allows me to tribute my Dark Magician, in order to summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" Mahaad's robes changed from their familiar purple, to an elaborate form fitting blue and pink body suit.

"Attack Bakura's Portrait and end this! Chaos Scepter Blast!"

"Noooo!" Bakura screamed as his life points dropped to zero.

The white haired thief fell to his knees and then pitched forward falling to the earth, sending up a cloud of dust at the impact. His cards scattered around his soulless body. The Shadow Realm gradually vanished around them, and Yugi and found himself in the underground chamber once again. Zia and Carter rushed up to Yugi and asked if he was alright. "Yes," he said wearily. He ignored their other questions for now, and removed his Deck from his duel disk. The disk vanished and he looked through his cards and once he found the correct card held it aloft and summoned Mahaad again.

/Thanks for the tip on summoning Mahaad, Yami./

/I thought he would reappear after the duel, but I guess he is still a Duel Monster, even if he has a body now./

The purple clad mage appeared, and just like his master he bore signs of the battle. His robes were torn in places, and he had several bleeding cuts on his legs, torso and arms. Ishizu ran up to Mahaad and gave him a hug. "I was worried about you!" she half sobbed into his shoulder. Mahaad relaxed slightly and hugged her in return. "I'm fine," he smiled weakly.

Zia went over to see what happened to Bakura. Setne just whistled in admiration. "You're not one to cross are ya, Pharaoh?" he asked. The thief remained motionless, when Zia prodded him with her boot. She rolled him over and then backed up when she saw his face.

His eyes had rolled up into his head, leaving only the whites of his eyes showing. "Is he dead?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at Yugi. "What did you do to him?" Yugi rubbed the back of his neck. "He challenged me to a Shadow Game and he lost. His soul in now trapped in a dark region of the _Duat_ known as the Shadow Realm," Yugi explained. "I'll give you more details later, but we need to focus on finding the Book of Thoth," Yugi reminded them.

Zia blew out her breath in frustration. "We've been trying! While you two were doing whatever you did to him—" she prodded Bakura again, "—we've searched this whole room! I've done every revealing and anti-concealment spell I know and it's not here!" A ball of fire appeared in her hand and she threw it at the wall. Luckily, it was not much of a focused shot, and the fire put itself out fairly quickly.

"I know…" Yugi trailed off. Suddenly his eyes lit up, and he walked toward Bakura's soulless body. "I think I might know where the Book is!"

/You do?/

Yugi gave a mental nod to his darker half. "I think it is in the Ring!"

/Ah. That would explain a lot./

Mahaad's expression darkened as he glared at the cursed object on the thief's chest. "What do you mean?" Zia asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"That Ring around his neck—" Yugi pointed at the golden object glittering in the torchlight. "—has great power. Bakura must have used it to hide the Book of Thoth inside the Ring itself," Yugi stated.

"How do we get it out?' Carter asked, his _khopesh_ hanging loosely in one hand. "Maybe if we destroyed it, the Book would be forced to appear," Zia reasoned and summoned a ball of fire. Yugi surged forward. "No. There is another way," Yugi turned to face Mahaad and Ishizu.

"Do either of you know how to get in touch with Shadi?" Ishizu looked surprised, and shook her head. "Shadi doesn't get along very well with my family in light of…our history," she said. Mahaad shook his head as well. "I'm am sorry, my Prince. But I don't where to find him."

Yugi jumped slightly when Yami offered his advice. /Yugi, just summon him. He is an Item holder, and he is obligated to answer a summons from either one of us./

/Right./

Yugi squared his shoulders and the Puzzle glowed with power. "I summon Shadi!" His voice reverberated off the walls of the chamber. A patch of fog appeared in front of Yugi and a man rose out of it. He wore floor length cream colored robes, and a matching turban. He had piercing blue eyes, and bronze skin. Ankh earnings dangled from his ears, and a giant ankh hung on a cord around his neck. Shadi dipped his head in acknowledgement. "How can I help you, Yugi?"

Zia and Carter stared at the newcomer in shock. Was Yugi really a necromancer? "Shadi, we need to use the Key to get into Bakura's soul room," Yugi said evenly. Zia and Carter traded confused glances, what was a soul room? Shadi nodded gravely. "It will be very dangerous, Yugi. Even though the thief is trapped in the Shadow Realm, his soul room will not be left unguarded," Shadi warned. Yugi nodded firmly. "I know. I'll be careful. You Mahaad and I will go there and find the Book of Thoth." Shadi looked surprised to hear the last part. "He stole the Book of Thoth!" Shadi cursed which brought Mahaad's head up.

"Let's go," Shadi said finally. He picked up Bakura's limp body and none too gently propped him against the wall. "Be careful! Ryou is still in there!" Yugi said. Shadi ignored him.

Yami phased out of the Puzzle and gave Mahaad a meaningful look.

"The two of you grab on to me," Shadi instructed. Mahaad and Yugi placed their right hands on top of Shadi's left, while Shadi pressed the Key to Bakura's forehead and turned it.

Even though Yugi could enter his own soul room at will, without hardly any effort on his part. Traveling into someone else's soul room was a different matter. Shadi assumed the role of guiding them to the soul room corridor of the Ring. If it wasn't for Shadi's guidance, Yugi would have been lost. When the pull on his magic stopped, Yugi opened his eyes, and found Mahaad and Shadi standing next to him. Just like as in the Puzzle, there was a hallway that extended into darkness on either end. The only thing along the corridor was two doors on opposite sides of the hallway.

Shadi took a step forward and was suddenly bound in chains. He struggled for a moment before he was electrocuted and passed out cold. Mahaad was on full alert now. The magician stood erect and clutched his staff in his right hand. "Get behind me," Yugi ordered. Mahaad let the confusion show in his expression as he reluctantly moved to obey. "Both you and Yami have taken quite a beating today. I will handle whatever Bakura will throw at us," Yugi said firmly.

Yugi examined both of the doors in the hallway. The one on the right was new, but it bore several strange looking dents, nicks and scratches. Ygui gave an involuntary shudder. He faintly sensed the innocence of Ryou behind that door, further confirming that Bakura's was the darker one opposite it. Bakura's door was old and had a more sinister feel to it. Yugi's stomach tightened as he grasped the door handle and turned it.

The only light in the room came from the soul corridor behind them. It took Yugi a moment to make out what was in Bakura's soul room. Yugi knew it was going to be creepy, but he was still startled at how creepy it was. There was an unmade bed in the center of the room that had dark patches that looked suspiciously like dried blood stains. Various tools of thievery including knives lay scattered on the floor. Bakura's tarot deck sat prominently on a table. Yugi ventured farther into the room, Mahaad not too far behind. Mahaad lit the end of his staff to give them more light, which just served to make the place creepier.

"Where is it?" Yugi asked. Mahaad shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered. Yugi walked over to a shelf and pulled off the covering obscuring the contents. "Ahhh!" he cried out in alarm and stopped back. There were several dolls staring back at him. They were the dolls that Bakura had trapped people's souls in before, and Yugi knew he was ready to do it again. Mahaad whirled at the outcry and shined his light on them. Yugi put a hand over his heart in an effort to get it to stop racing so fast. Yugi knelt down and looked under the bed and discovered there was nothing there.

A few minutes passed before either spoke again. "Let's check under the floorboards," Yugi suggested. Mahaad nodded and helped Yugi examine the floor. After they had made it about halfway through the floor, Yugi found the right one. "Mahaad!" Yugi said. Mahaad moved to get a better look at what Yugi was doing. Yugi pried the board up and set it aside. He tentatively reached down in the hole and grunted as he lifted up a small, heavy black treasure chest.

Yugi slowly raised the lid. The only thing inside was a thick roll of papyrus. He exchanged a look of triumph with Mahaad. Yugi reached his hand to grab it. "Wait! It might be trapped!" Mahaad warned. But Yugi had already wrapped his fingers around the scroll and lifted it out. "It's fine—" he was cut off by the slice of a trap blade through the air. Yugi cried out in alarm and raised his other arm instinctively to defend himself. The blade sliced across his left arm and Yugi instantly felt the searing pain. Now he had wounds on both of his arms.

"Master!" Mahaad screamed, and rushed to his side. "Please allow me to help you," Mahaad pleaded. Yugi winced as he staggered to his feet and shook his head. "I'm fine, Mahaad," the magician didn't look convinced but didn't say anything. Yugi bit his lip to keep from crying out. He cradled his bleeding arm and left the room. "We have to see if Ryou is alright."

"Master, you are hurt. We have to hurry," Mahaad protested. Yugi glared at him, which made Mahaad shrink back slightly. An angry Pharaoh wasn't to be crossed, but neither was an angry Yugi. Yugi walked up to Ryou's door and opened it. "Ryou-kun, are you here?" Yugi asked. A figure stirred on the bed and sat up. Rou saw them standing there and quickly made his way to the door, not at all embarrassed that he was in his pajamas. "Yugi? What are you doing here? All I remember before Bakura locked me in my room, was that he bought a plane ticket to Egypt," Ryou looked nervous, and his brown eyes darted to his darker half's soul room.

"Yami and I defeated him in a Shadow Game. He lured us to Kul Elna, where we thought he had hidden the Book of Thoth," Yugi explained quickly. Ryou's brown eyes shifted to Yugi's arm. "You're hurt Yugi!" Ryou moved forward to help, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw Mahaad standing behind him. "Hi—Hi," he stammered as he backed away again. It was no secret that Bakura hated Mahaad and Ryou was pretty certain the Dark Magician wasn't too fond of the thief either. "Don't worry. Mahaad won't hurt you," Yugi gave his friend a reassuring smile.

"We had better return to the mortal world. Where is Shadi?" Ryou asked. "Shadi got knocked out when we first arrived," Ryou's shoulders slumped slightly at that. "Bakura ranted about how angry that made him, the last time Shadi showed up here. I'm sure he put in safeguards to make sure that wouldn't happen again." Ryou walked with them to the soul room corridor and the three of them gathered in a semicircle around Shadi's still form. Ryou reached out and touched him and muttered a spell. "I watched Bakura set this particular one," he explained.

Shadi's eyes fluttered and he bolted upright. Yugi and Ryou explained what had happened and Yugi showed him the scroll as proof. "Good. Let's get out of here," Shadi closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were back in their bodies in the mortal world. Yugi and Mahaad let their hands fall from Shadi's. Ryou slowly sat up and as was his long ingrained habit, he tested his range of motion before moving. He shuddered again thinking about how scary Bakura could get when he was angry and drunk.

"How did he get like that?" Zia demanded. "He was comatose a few minutes ago!" Ishizu stepped in and explained vaguely that he had a bond with the Spirit of the Ring much like Yugi had a bond with Yami.

"Yugi, Mahaad, I want to tend to your injuries," Ishizu said. Both boys obediently walked over to her. Naturally, she started with Yugi first. "How did this happen?" she asked indicating Yugi's newest injury. Yugi knew that Yami was now listening as well. "I got cut in Bakura's soul room. I didn't think before I reached for the scroll. I should have known it was going to be booby trapped," Yugi admitted. Ishizu started wrapping a bandage around it.

The bandage was ripped from her hands, and she looked up in shock to see that Yami had taken over. The spirit didn't look well, but she could tell that he was quite angry. "Mahaad!" The magician jumped at his name, and quickly dropped his gaze, bracing himself for what was to come. "Explain yourself. _Now_ ," the Pharaoh's voice dropped to a low and dangerous tone at the end. "Master ordered me to stay behind him. When he found the chest containing the scroll, he reached for it. I tried to warn him, but the trap had already been sprung," Mahaad finished.

The Pharaoh glared at Mahaad, who could feel the intensity of his king's gaze upon him. Mahaad's heart was racing now, and his body was tense. The Pharaoh crossed the distance between them.

"My Pharaoh—" Ishizu began in alarm, anticipating what was to come.

The Pharaoh swung and backhanded Mahaad in the face with his right hand. Mahaad gasped in pain and dropped to the floor. Mahaad flinched as if he expected another blow. "Don't ever let that happen again, or you will face much worse." The Pharaoh let the threat hang in the air, as he relinquished control to Yugi.

"Mahaad!" Yugi's tone was laced with concern, as he knelt next to the magician. Mahaad flinched again. Yugi rested a comforting arm on Mahaad's shoulder. Mahaad was breathing rapidly now. "It's alright. I won't let Yami do anything to you. Let me see," Yugi coaxed. Mahaad turned his head to give Yugi a better view of where the blow had landed. The Pharaoh had struck quite a blow, Mahaad was already developing a small bump on his forehead.

"May I?" Yugi asked, searching Mahaad's face. Mahaad's eyes were still dilated and held fear. Mahaad didn't trust himself to speak, merely nodded. Yugi gently touched the bump on Mahaad's forehead on the left side. Mahaad winced slightly.

Ishizu moved to tend to Mahaad first. Mahaad shook his head, even as Yugi helped him to his feet. "No. Tend to Master's injuries first," he protested. Ishizu didn't look convinced but did so. She picked up the fallen roll of bandages, but thought better of it after realizing how deep the cuts actually were. She removed a jar of salve from her bag and opened it.

"Nefertem's Balm," she explained. "It is very rare, this is my only jar." She applied it it Yugi's two largest cuts on his arms first. Yugi sighed in relief as they disappeared. She then tended to the other minor scrapes and cuts on his legs.

By the time she was finished, Yugi looked a lot better. "Your turn," she told Mahaad. Mahaad graciously accepted her help. She made quick work of the rest of his cuts and reached a hand out to apply the last of the salve to Mahaad's forehead. He backed away slightly. "If the Pharaoh wants you to keep that as some kind of token of penitence, he can take it up with me," she stated, with a defiant fire in her eyes. Mahaad smiled and nodded, allowing her to heal his final wound.

Ishizu, Yugi and Mahaad rejoined the others. Meanwhile Zia had unrolled part of the Book of Thoth and skimmed some of it. "This is really dangerous stuff," she warned, as she looked up to see them. "It gives the names of all the gods and how to recognize them no matter what form they try and take. It even tells the location of their shadows," she trailed off. Carter who had been engrossed with the scroll, or with Zia, Mahaad couldn't decide which, straightened at the sound of Setne's laughter.

"I know who you truly are Pharaoh!" Everyone turned to face the ghost. "What do you mean?" Zia demanded. "It all makes sense now. You are the Nameless Pharaoh. You are the one of legend, the one who inherited the seven Millennium Items and sealed away Zork the Dark One!" Setne smiled with glee at that confused expressions on Zia and Carter's faces. Yugi and Ishizu's expressions were grave, while Mahaad looked angry.

"How can we trust anything you say?! You've told us one too many lies!" Zia fumed.

"Because this time it is true," Yugi spoke from the back of the group. "The Pharaoh is really a three thousand year old Pharaoh who ruled Egypt during the Great Gap," Yugi began. Zia narrowed her eyes. "There's no Great Gap," she countered.

"The whole Amarna period didn't happen as most people think it did. Yes there was a man who changed his name to Akhenaten. But he never sat on the throne of the Two Lands," Yugi told them. Zia glared at them. "How do you know that? It's not like you were there!" She argued.

"I wasn't but Yami and Mahaad were. Yami saved the world using the seven Millennium Items his father created. I bear the same Item, the Millennium Puzzle. In the past, Mahaad bore the Millennium Ring. Shadi—" Yugi turned and discovered Shadi had vanished.

"Typical," Yugi complained. "Shadi has two Items, the Ankh and the Scales. Ishizu has the Millennium Tauk. Each Item can create a Shadow Game."

"What can each one do?"

"The Ring can seal people's souls in objects, the Ankh lets you into one's soul room. The scales pass judgment. The Tauk can reveal the past or the future. Bakura also has the Eye which allows him to read minds. Marik, Ishizu's brother, bears the Rod and it allows him to control others," Yugi finished.

Zia seemed to accept what they were saying. "We can worry about this later. We need to get back to the _Egyptian Queen_ ," Carter asserted. No one argued with that.

They carefully retraced their steps out of the underground chamber. The sun was lower on the horizon now. Their duel with Bakura took longer than Carter had previously thought. Their boat was still where they'd left it.

The captain lowered the gangplank and welcomed them on board. Carter was distracted by the upcoming problems facing them. As everyone else went to eat, Setne casually leaned against the railing. "We should probably get going. Do I have your permission to give the captain directions?" Carter just stared into the depths of the Nile. "Yeah, sure," Carter replied, as he headed to the galley to join everyone else.

"You have a galley but no food?" Zia asked. Carter froze. "I don't?" He asked, dumbfounded. Zia shook her head again. "All well," she said. "We'll have to make due," she stated.

A few minutes later, they all felt the familiar sense of free fall as they entered the River of the Night and officially entered into the Underworld. Yugi didn't like the feeling much and looked a little green.

Things were looking pretty good. That changed, as soon as Carter heard an axe split the door behind them into splinters with one blow. Bits of wood flew in all directions.

Author's notes:

Thank you so much for your support and constructive criticism! I got more reviews last chapter than ever before! Sorry it has taken so long for me to update this, I've been busy!

As always please review and let me know what you think!

Sent from my iPhone


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own Kane Chronicles or Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 15: Entrance into the Land of Demons

"Stop! That is an order!" Carter yelled as the axe-headed captain entered the galley, stepping on the remains of the door he had just shredded. Small bits of wood clung to his black captain's uniform.

Bloodstained Blade laughed, which sounded creepy, like Yami Marik cackling through rotating fan blades. Mahaad shivered. For added emphasis, the deranged demon smashed his head into the wall, and tore out a sizable chunk of it, showering himself in splinters in the process. He then turned and faced the magicians again.

Ishizu moved protectively in front of Ryou, who was still lying across a few chairs in the galley, they had been using as a makeshift hospital bed. The albino raised his head and looked at Bloodstained Blade before lowering his head again, hissing softly in pain. "I have new orders, to kill you!" He hummed angrily. Zia glowered at Carter, her jaw set. "Geez, who could have told him to do that?" Zia commented sarcastically. Carter sucked in a breath like he had just been sucker punched in the stomach. Bloodstained Blade charged, blade first.

Carter was the first to react. "Hawi!" The hieroglyph for Strike appeared in blue hieroglyphs. A giant blue fist collided with the demon and sent him flying out his recently redecorated door and through the opposite wall. Yugi winced, suddenly grateful he wasn't on the receiving end of Carter's attack.

Mahaad stepped forward threateningly. Carter was thinking about his next move. He couldn't just strike Bloodstained Blade over and over again without wasting a lot of magic and draining his energy.

"Here he comes!" Zia warned. The demon climbed through the wreckage and faced the magicians yet again. "Kill!" The demon screeched. Yugi being the fastest, broke away from the group and darted for the stairs. He looked over his shoulder and to his surprise, the captain wasn't following him. Bloodstained Blade had his blade trained on Carter. "Carter, the demon is targeting you! Come this way! Follow me!" Yugi encouraged, waving at Carter. Carter didn't have many other ideas, but he liked Yugi's plan of leaving the cramped galley to fight somewhere more practical. He took a breath and darted after the shorter teen. True to his prediction, the demon turned and ran after him, leaving the rest of the group alone.

Carter overtook Yugi on the stairs because of his longer stride and reached the deck first. "Setne!" Carter growled, but the deck was virtually empty. The ghost was nowhere in sight. Instead, the crew of light orbs were going nuts. They were flying around in circles, colliding with one another in the air, weaving around the deck and crashing into walls. It seemed that without orders from the captain they couldn't steer the Egyptian Queen by themselves. Yugi stared at them for a second before the heavy footfalls of the demon forced him back to reality.

/Do you want me to take over?/ Despite Carter not being able to see the Pharaoh, Yugi shook his head.

/No. I don't want you to have all the fun!/  
/Alright, if that's what you call fun Aibou./ The Pharaoh chuckled darkly.

/Just let me know if you want to switch./

/I will./

The boat itself was speeding down the murky river, with no one guiding it. Carter didn't have to look at the wheelhouse to know that no one was steering. He had to get the boat under control or they would sink pretty soon. Unfortunately, the captain had other ideas, as he started chasing Carter, as soon as he ascended the stairs. "Yugi! Get to the wheel! We are going to crash!" Carter screamed. Yugi nodded and ran in the opposite direction toward Bloodstained Blade. Mahaad and Zia, appeared in the stairwell, and quickly saw the captain's back was turned to them. Both were ready to play their advantage. Ishizu had opted to stay below deck with Ryou, who was still wiped out from his duel with the Muto twins.

Carter whose clothes had once again changed to pharaonic clothing when he entered the Duat now found himself barefoot just like his first trip on the River of the Night. He tried to keep his footing, but slipped and fell, due to the pitching of the boat. He rolled over just in time to avoid the downward thrust of Bloodstained Blade's blade. Zia launched a fireball that would have incinerated the pest, except for the fact that he ducked, while going in for the kill. Luckily Zia's fireball sailed harmlessly in the river and didn't start the ship on fire.

Bloodstained Blade swung so hard he embedded his head in one of the wooden planks that made up the deck. He struggled to free himself, humming angrily. "New orders, kill Carter Kane, take him to the Land of the Demons and make sure it is a one way trip!" He muttered to himself.

Carter's head snapped around in alarm, Yugi had made it to the wheelhouse, and was trying to turn the wheel to change course, but was having some difficulty as they had entered a very violent section of river, with white water rapids.

"Oh no!" Mahaad cried above the ever growing sound of roaring water. He started toward Yugi aiming to assist him. "Hold on!" Zia stumbled across the deck, hindered by the pitching and rocking of the boat. She formed another fireball in her hand, preparing to strike.

Bloodstained Blade finally managed to free himself from the deck. He swung his blade again and Carter instinctively jumped backwards, but the blade sliced across his abdomen. Carter gasped in pain and sank to his knees. His vision blurred for a moment and he shook his head to clear his head. Bloodstained Blade towered over Carter and hummed triumphantly. "Good bye Lord Kane." Carter concentrated hard and after communing with Horus only managed to summon an ostrich feather from the Duat. The captain cocked his head in confusion which gave Carter the opening he needed. He thought back to the time when Sadie had hastily made them fire shields on one of their last trips to the underworld. "A'max!" The hieroglyph for burn exploded in the demon's face and he staggered backward screaming. Bloodstained Blade disintegrated into a pile of sand, leaving only a blackened axe head behind, on a pile of sand. Mahaad had reached Yugi near the stairwell and was trying to give him directions to steer the boat, but it was getting harder as the current pricked up speed. The black outline of the beach was becoming more distinct now. It was filled with the bones of men, and volcanoes covered the beach in an unearthly fiery glow.

Carter turned his head as he heard the sound of the gangplank being lowered. Setne strolled calmly across it ignoring the turbulent water below him. He waited patiently for the plank to get close enough for him to jump to shore safely. As if it wasn't bad enough, he had the Book of Thoth cradled under one arm. "Setne!" Carter screamed. Setne shrugged coolly. "I'll be right back pal-" he was cut off by Zia. "Tas!" The pink ribbons of Hathor encased him in a pink cocoon, and he lost his balance and fell into the River of the Night with a splash.

Look out!" Yugi cried as the ship rammed into the shore, with a mighty crash. The force of the impact ejected everyone from the ship. The force of the impact broke the hull in half. Mahaad landed on his stomach in the black sand, Yugi wasn't too far away laying on his back a little dazed. Zia and Carter had landed on their knees, the impact cushioned by the soft black sand. Yugi sat up and rubbed the back of his head, shaking the sand out of his hair. He looked at the ship and saw Ishizu supporting Ryou as they climbed out of the wreckage. Everyone came together In a loose semicircle to asses the damage. Carter's gash was the worst injury they had sustained. Zia rummaged through her backpack and brought out a familiar container of blue salve. Zia handed it to him and Carter applied it gingerly to his stomach and felt the cool relief as the paste healed his cut.

Mahaad surveyed the beach and observed that the broken remains of the Egyptian Queen lay scattered along the shore. Broken pieces of railing were burning in a crevice of fire. "We're not getting back home that way," Carter observed solemnly as he too looked at the wreckage. The smoke stacks had broken and fire was licking the shattered window frames. The ship started taking on more water and suddenly slipped beneath the current. The magical orbs of light were visible for a moment before their light was obscured by the gray water. "Where is Setne?" Zia demanded. Carter looked around wildly. How could he have almost forgotten about their ghostly prisoner? Yugi pointed to a pink mummy near the shore. His bandages had caught on a bone sticking out into the water. Setne squirmed and his words were muffled by the ribbons covering his mouth. "We could leave him like that," Carter suggested. "He has the Book of Thoth," Mahaad countered.

"We'll deal with him later, let's eat," Zia suggested. Mahaad stared at her in shock. He would have expected a comment like that out of Joey or Tristan but not her. Carter ever trying to impress her, readily agreed. Carter busted out some bottled water and granola bars from his backpack and looked quite pleased with himself.

Yugi's eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. He chanted for a second and a stone slab appeared covered in glittering hieroglyphs made of precious and semiprecious stones. Mahaad recognized it instantly as his offering stela that he had last seen when the Pharaoh had resurrected him. Mahaad grinned. "Good thinking Master," he praised. Carter just shook his head.

"We can't actually eat that food," Carter said wistfully. Mahaad raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?" He asked.

Carter flushed a bit. "A shabti," he answered honestly.

"And you were foolish enough to believe it?" Mahaad asked irritably.

"I was going off the best knowledge I had. I didn't have anyone to instruct me in magic," Carter defended himself.

Mahaad's expression turned sympathetic, "I understand that. I am sorry for my accusation."

Yugi read part of the incantation and the named foods appeared, including bread, beef, beer and cucumbers. The group quickly divided up the food and started eating. It was then that Carter realized they hadn't had a proper meal for ages. He felt famished. The bread tasted as if it had just come out of the oven. The beef was warm and the beer was fresh. Mahaad, Yugi, Ishizu and Ryou all helped themselves to the beer, pouring themselves cups filled to the brim. But Carter and Zia eyed them with mistrust.

"It's not that alcoholic," Mahaad reassured them. "Children drank beer at festivals all the time."

Zia and Carter were still wary and only tried a little bit before deciding to stick to Carter's bottled water. Ryou shrugged and poured himself another cup of beer.

"You gave Setne permission to give Bloodstained Blade orders?" Zia demanded at Carter, her eyes reflecting the fiery landscape that surrounded them.

Carter winced. "Yeah, I was a little distracted," he admitted.

"Bloodstained Blade brought us here to the most dangerous part of the Duat," Zia stated.

"One of the most dangerous," Mahaad interjected. "This might be where the Sea of Chaos is, but there are other parts of the Underworld that contains equally old and dangerous magic. Places inhabited by our brethren's gods," Mahaad countered. Zia opened her mouth to defend herself and then remembered who she was speaking to. Mahaad had lived in the Underworld for millennia longer than he had been human.

"Are you feeling alright after the whole Khepri episode?" Carter asked Zia.

"I am sacred I don't know what is happening to me," she confessed, her expression uncertain.

Carter smiled at her, and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I understand what you are going through. I was the Eye of Horus."

"Ra is different. He is an ancient god. He is hard to control and he feels trapped because he can't be reborn," she countered.

/I can relate to that./ Yugi was surprised to hear the pain in the Pharaoh's voice.

"That might be part of the reason he chose you, you were trapped in the your village for a long time," Carter said.

Yugi felt Yami's anxiousness over their bond, the Spirit wanted to have control but for some odd reason was being shy about asking for it. Yugi relinquished control anyway and the pensive king suddenly found himself in control of their shared body.

"Zia, I know how you feel or at least how Lord Ra feels. I was trapped in the Millennium Puzzle for three millennia. I was alone for three thousand years," he said sadly.

Zia was shocked to see the confident Pharaoh so vulnerable. She tentatively rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. That must have been so hard for you. Thank you. I know it is not easy to open up to someone you don't know well about such a harrowing experience like that. Hosting Ra is challenging. It is like he is drowning and threatening to pull me in with him if I'm not careful. Every time I black out it gets worse."

"How often has this happened?" Yami asked, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. He let his hand fall.

"It started several months ago when we first awakened Ra, but it has been getting more frequent as time passes. I'm too weak to control him." She rested her head on her folded arms and drew her knees up to her chest.

"You can do it. You have restrained him before you can do so again," the Pharaoh said in his usual confident tone. Zia raised her head. "I have been around a long time and have seen some pretty strange things. You can redirect his energy. You just have to believe in yourself and trust your connection, your bond, to him." Zia nodded considering the Pharaoh's words.

To be polite to Carter for being a good Boy Scout the members of the group divided up the granola bars Carter had brought. Zia made a face as she bit into one. "This tastes like paper," she reported. "I still owe you that date to the mall," Carter reminded her. "I know," she said.

Zia leaned in and kissed him.

Carter looked stunned when she pulled away.

"Thank you. But I am still afraid," she said.

"You aren't weak." To prove his point, Carter reached into the Duat and pulled out the crook and the flail. Mahaad's eyes widened in shock. "These belong with Ra," Carter said pushing them into her hands. Zia turned them over and examined them. The crook was shaped like a blue and gold candy cane, while the flail was a whip with three braided strands of rope.

"No, these may belong to Ra, but Horus must be Pharaoh," she extended them to the spiky haired teen. The Pharaoh nodded once and accepted them his palms turned upwards. She placed them in his hands.

Yami felt the ancient power they contained, it was old magic indeed. He inclined his head briefly. "Thank you. I pledge my loyalty to Lord Ra," he said solemnly.

Mahaad watched the exchange and noted how his king had wielded a khopesh in Kul Elna but now held the twin symbols of kingship the shepherd's crook and the war flail.

They heard muffled cursing which drew their attention to the beach, where Setne was floundering in the water. "We'd better fish him out," Carter said. Ishizu who had sat on the outer edge of the group rose to her feet to fetch him. She unhooked him from the bone and threw him up on the shore.

"Is the Book of Thoth alright?" Mahaad asked glaring at Setne. Ishizu shrugged. Zia intervened and removed the bindings just around his chest so she could remove the scroll.

Setne yelled, "mmmmm!"

"I've had quite enough is this one's lies for one day. We should just leave him," Carter lamented.

Zia unrolled the scroll and started skimming the contents. "Setne was right. Apophis' shadow lies in the Land of Demons. There is a map." She showed what was supposedly a map, but it was covered in so many hieroglyphs that it was hard to tell it even was a map. Setne's atrocious hieratic notes were also spread liberally throughout the map.

"The Land of Demons is huge and according to this, it is constantly changing form and making new landscapes, and like its name indicates, it is inhabited by demons," Zia summarized.

"So basically everything will want to kill us," Ryou spoke for the first time since they had crash landed. Yami smiled faintly. "Apparently."

"We don't have much time. The serpent rises tomorrow," Carter reminded everyone. His thoughts turned to Walt and he wondered if the teen was still alive or not. Walter wasn't supposed to live past sunset.

Carter prodded Setne with his bare foot. "I'm willing to bet you could read the map and fake us to the shadow?" Setne nodded vigorously twice. "If he does anything wrong, hurt him," Carter said. Yami and Mahaad nodded along with everyone else. Carter released the ribbons around his mouth.

"Holy Horus man! Why did you tie me up?!" He demanded.

"We allow you to speak and the first words out of your mouth are blasphemy?!" The Pharaoh ground out. He summoned a fist full of writhing purple shadows and advanced toward the pink mummy. Setne shrieked and tried to inchworm away.

"I'm sorry!" He sobbed. Yami narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"My king!" Mahaad broke in.

The Pharaoh turned to face Mahaad, his expression still livid. "You dare to interrupt me? What is it?"

The memory of the the pharaoh's slap made Mahaad cower a bit under the intensity of his king's gaze. "Setne will face judgement for all the crimes he committed. We promised to return him to Lord Osiris. You will be able to Game him later."

Yami dismissed the shadows. "Why do you speak for him?"

Mahaad faltered. "I don't want Lord Osiris getting angry with you," Mahaad said quickly. The Pharaoh nodded and stepped backward.

"You just tried to kill us," Carter stated.

"That?" The ghost waved his hand dismissively. "Are you going to overreact every time I try and kill you?"

"Overreact?!" Yami yelled. Zia thinking along the same lines, summoning a ball of fire. Setne tried to back up again.

"The demon captain was going to turn on you anyway. And he would never have agreed to take you to the Land of Demons. He would have killed you first," Setne said. The Pharaoh crossed his arms.

"And that is why you were running away with the Book of Thoth?" Carter asked. "I wanted to make it easier to find the shadow!" The ghost tried to look offended. "I can still get you to the shadow and I can make sure you aren't spotted."

"How?" Carter asked.

"I've been practicing magic since before your ancestors were in diapers!"

Mahaad and Yami exchanged glances. "Not us," Mahaad stated. Setne waved a hand dismissively. "It is true that I can't do a lot of magic without a body," his eyes drifted to Mahaad for a brief second. "I can do magic only ghosts can do. Untie me and I'll show you."

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at the pink mummy. "You really think we are stupid enough to believe your lies?"

"Do have any better ideas?" Setne countered.

Mahaad gritted his teeth. "I could preform it!"

"No, let him. If he tries anything we'll destroy him," Pharaoh countered. Mahaad raised an eyebrow and looked at his king for support. Yami shook his head. "I don't like it. But I can't make every decision. If Carter wants to let Setne do magic. Let him," Yami finished.

Setne flashed them all a cheesy grin. "I want you to succeed. I don't want Apophis taking over the world or destroying me." The Pharaoh still eyed Setne warily as Carter snapped his fingers and the Ribbons of Hathor fell away.

"What's your plan?" Ishizu asked. Setne spread his hands wide. "Doll, I'm going to turn you into demons!" Ishizu stared at him. "Demons?" She asked. "I promise you won't even recognize yourselves!"

Setne began with Carter. He soon spouted a bottle opener in place of his head, had fusha skin and hairy chimp legs. Ryou giggled at the sight of him. "You're next!" Setne turned on Ryou. The albino blushed and quickly looked away. But after a quick spell, Ryou had the head of a saw. "The Tomb Robber would approve," Yami quipped darkly. Ishizu went next and walked away with a meat cleaver for a head. The rest of the group appeared to be demons who had raided the kitchen and gardening sections of a store. "I feel ridiculous," Yugi complained after Yami switched places with him, snickering darkly on his soul room, at the gardening hoe that sprouted between Yugi's shoulder blades. Others mumbled their assent. "Aren't you going to change too?" Zia asked. The ghost sported his usual jeans, sneakers and trademark leather jacket. The only thing be bad changed was his t shirt changed to red snd read GO DEMONS! He shook his head. "I'm perfect the way I am, Doll," he retorted. Ishizu just rolled her eyes in response.

According to Carter, Setne cast some of the best glamor magic he'd seen.

Setne didn't wait for them to get accustomed to their new appearances and set off inland. Setne occasionally paused to consult the map for directions. He explained that the landscape changed all the time and that the terrain was impossible to navigate without it. "We'll be there before you know it!" He promised. Mahaad doubted that. It seemed like they had been walking for at least an hour. He shook his head. The Land of Demons should have been easier for him to use his internal clock to gauge time, but it wasn't.

The landscape was driving him crazy too. The whole place was a giant optical illusion. Mountains and valleys that looked miles away would suddenly appear so small that they could be stepped over a few feet later. Mahaad was again struck by how grateful he was that he was a Duel Monster and not a demon. Mana would have way too much fun in a place like this, he mused to himself.

Huge temples and other buildings were constantly rearranging themselves, breaking apart and reforming. There were also monolithic statues of grotesque monsters that appeared out of the fog and turned their heads to watch the group's pitiful progress. Mahaad eyed the statues with unease. "They're not real are they?" Yugi asked half trying to reassure Mahaad and reassure himself as well. Mahaad shrugged. "Anything could happen in such a strange place, my Prince," he replied. Mahaad pointed to some of the stone statues. "Do they look familiar?" Mahaad asked.

Yugi looked at the statues Mahaad indicated. The teen gasped. There were monsters he recognized, Silver Fang, Man Eater Bug and ironically Giant Soldier of Stone. "Are they actually Duel Monsters?" Yugi asked. Mahaad shrugged again. "I don't think so. Their magic feels...different," the magician replied.

There were even more demons than Mahaad expected. He was relieved that their group was being ignored by them at the moment. The demons themselves were grotesque. Some had several extra limbs sticking out at odd angles, and looked like they had been severely tortured and wore expressions that seemed to capture their frozen screams. Others had weapons instead of arms. Their heads were made of every kind of tool and dangerous animal imaginable. Mahaad pointed out some Duel Monsters interspersed with the demons that made Yugi shudder. Many monsters that looked like they could have come straight from Bakura's occult deck like Earl of Demise, Headless Knight, Dark Necrofear and Souls of the Forgotten. The demons moved in packs and staged skirmishes with one another, using the landscape to their advantage, building and destroying fortifications. They saw many large battles. Winged demons and dragons carried off screaming demons into the air.

As the group moved along the presence of chaos became more pronounced. Mahaad looked at the others and by their facial expressions they were feeling the same cold churning in their stomachs. Mahaad shuddered. Carter looked more affected by it than others. He grimaced and then shook his head, and hardened his resolve.

"Look, everything is moving the same way we are," Ryou commented from the rear of the pack. It was true, all the demons and even the landscape was being pulled in the direction they were facing. Ryou shuddered, if that what was happened to the landscape, he didn't want to think about what would happen to him. Somehow Mahaad sensed they all shouldn't be alive so close to the wild primeval forces. He looked at Zia and noticed a faint glow surrounding her. "Ra is sustaining us," Yugi said in awe, voicing Mahaad's thoughts. Yugi's voice sounded slightly distorted and Mahaad realized that Yugi had at least partially merged with Horus. Every so often Setne glanced back at them and looked surprised every time to see them following behind him.

"There are fewer demons here," Zia noted. "It's just like-" Yugi cut himself off. Mahaad picked up on his sentiment though. "The great Beast," Mahaad finished. Yugi didn't seem inclined to elaborate so no one pressed him for further details. They came to a field littered with craters, covered in what appeared to be black lotus blossoms opening and closing. Carter realized that they were clumps of dark tendrils of familiar purple shadows. Yugi looked at Mahaad who shook his head, he was at a loss too. When the shadows opened they deposited a spirit who clawed desperately at the earth to avoid being pulled in the same direction they were traveling. Eventually they lost their grip and flew away. "Why aren't you affected?" Carter asked. Setne for the first time looked grim. His face looked paler than before. "Let's keep moving," he said loudly. Carter suddenly froze and caused Zia who had been right behind him to run into him. "Carter what?" She started but then stopped herself when she saw his face. "My mother was here," he stated. Carter was looking at a rocky outcropping of a cliff which was bare. Zia grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Maybe it was a different cliff. This place is always changing." Carter didn't look convinced. Setne fiddled with his ankh necklace. "If she was here pal, she's probably gone. Apophis' shadow feeds on spirits of the dead." Carter glared at him. "She was a magician like all of us. She was strong," Carter affirmed.

A roar shook the ground and the landscape turned red. They started moving faster toward the horizon as if being pushed by strong winds along a moving sidewalk. After they crested a hill, Setne pointed ahead. "There it is, the Sea of Chaos." Being dead, Mahaad had seen a lot of things he never would have dreamed of back in Egypt, but this was one he could say he wished he'd never seen. There was an ocean that was made of fire, mist and water. The red matter from the landscape was being sucked in and became part of the churning sea. It seemed to stretch for miles and Mahaad had the impression it was endless. Trees, buildings and rocks constantly flew overhead and entered the boiling sea dissolving on contact. Even the demons got pulled in. One was fighting courageously but in the end tripped over a rock and was sent screaming into the sea.

A few hundred yards to the north was a narrow strip of land jutting out of the sea. At the far end was a tall gleaming white obelisk. It glowed with power. Carter had the feeling the obelisk was older than the gods themselves. Mahaad stared at it in childlike wonder. He knew from the ancient texts it was in fact older than the gods.

"The benben stone," he breathed.

The mound of creation.

Yugi stared at the obelisk too. "Are we really going down there?" Carter asked. "Haven't you heard the creation story?" Mahaad asked. "Egypt rose from the Sea of Chaos. We all came from it," he explained.

"Is that the first land that rose from the sea?" Carter asked. "I don't know I wasn't there," Setne snapped. "But it is a powerful symbol of order."

"Where is the shadow?" Yugi asked afraid of the answer. "In order to see it you have to cast the spell form the edge of the jetty," Setne informed them. Carter paled. "One false step and..." Zia trailed off. "We get absorbed into the sea," Mahaad finished. "Come on! It'll be fun!" Setne said cheerfully. He skipped along as he led the way.

As they progressed, the pull of chaos got stronger. More demons, boulders, and trees were getting sucked into the Sea of Chaos. The pull felt stronger and Mahaad struggled to keep his footing. Even the ground under Mahaad's feet kept breaking off and getting flung into the swirling soup in front of them. Setne was whistling happily as they walked along, trying to remain oblivious to the influence of chaos. Zia and Carter held hands. Mahaad clutched his teal green staff tightly in his right hand, he considered storing it so he didn't loose it, but it didn't seem right to be without it, in case he needed it. But Setne's appearance told a different story. His skin was paler than before. His hair was being pulled toward the sea, which made it appear as if he had slathered it with hair gel. Ryou looked at him and would have laughed if Setne hadn't just tried to kill them all. While Mahaad was musing over these things, a hand slid comfortably into his own. He looked back in surprise to see Ishizu grasping his hand and smiling faintly. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. Yugi grasped the crook and flail so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Carter almost slipped into the surf, but Zia caught him and steadied him. "Be careful-" he warned. Mahaad who was coming up a few paces behind him slipped a few feet away from where Carter had. "Oh!" He cried in surprise. His hand slipped out of Ishizu's. He fell down hard and tried to grab onto something. He clawed in vain at the earth, and to everyone's horror, tumbled into the surf.

"Ankh! Wedja! Seneb!" Life! Prosperity! Health! Mahaad cried, as his form vanished from sight.

"NO! MAHAAD!" Yugi screamed.

Author's notes:

In response to the guest review I received, I'm going to respond here, since I don't have any way to contact them. The Millennium Items were created by killing nearly 700 thieves, for me, I think that is pretty dark magic. It has been a little while since I watched the anime, but I remember Mahaad saying what led him to the discovery of the creation of the Items, was that he felt the Ring was evil. But to be fair, not much is known about the spell used to create the Millennium Items, or how Zorc ties into Egyptian mythology. It is possible that the Items were genuine artifacts of ma'at but I think of them more like the god Seth, where he is more representative of chaos, but within certain boundaries. I don't know if that even makes sense. What do you think?

Thank you for the reviews I've received! They really do help me write faster!

Please review and let me know what you think! I appreciate constructive criticism!

Sent from my iPhone


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own Kane Chronicles or Yu-Gi-Oh! 

A/N: I edited this chapter to make it flow better. I didn't change any major plot points though, just to warn you.

Chapter 16: A Battle with a Demon

Before they had time to process what had just happened a demon attached itself to Carter's leg and before Carter could decide to help it or not, the demon lost its grip and tumbled into the sea.

Yami surged forward and took control of their shared body. The king sank to his knees, covering his pants in red sand. He pounded a fist into the ground. "No! Mahaad!" The Pharaoh threw dust on himself mixing it in his hair and clothes. He took out a knife and cut the black shirt he wore underneath his blue jacket. Yugi was shocked, but shrank back form interfering after he remembered that this was a common expression of mourning and grief in ancient Egypt.

His expression was both angry and hurt. The waves of shock and grief coming across the link to Yugi were so thick they were almost palpable. Yugi felt these same emotions but not as acutely as his darker half. The Pharaoh pounded the ground again sending up a small cloud of red dust. Tears fell to the ground below and his body shook. "How dare you leave me again!"He cried, his voice breaking at the end. Setne took a step toward the grieving king. He waved his had dismissively. "He was going to die anyway. He just did it himself," the ghost stated. The Pharaoh raised his head, the tears still streaking down his face. He glowered at the ghost who raised an eyebrow. The Pharaoh started walking slowly but determined toward the spirit.

"My Pharaoh, no!" Ishizu cried, her own face streaked with tears. She tried in vain to stop his advance. Her pleadings fell on deaf ears. Unbidden the vision she had had of Isis pleading for Mahaad not to go to his death filled her mind. She rocked back at the power of the grief that hit her, folding her like a blow to the stomach.

The Millennium Puzzle glowed with yellow light. The familiar purple tendrils of the Shadow Realm appeared like fog and grew thicker by the second. Setne lost his cool and the Pharaoh smiled cruelly at the fear in the ghost's eyes. Stene started trembling with fear. He had always been able to talk his way out of judgement, but it appeared he had finally pushed his luck too far. He was doomed.

Even though Yugi was still trying to process Mahaad's death, he didn't want a repeat of the fateful Orichalcos duel where Yami lost himself. /Yami!/ The intensity of his lighter half's call startled the king and Yami shifted his gaze to his partner who had phased out of the Puzzle. Setne jumped at the sight of him. "Yami! Don't do this! We promised to leave his judgement to Osiris!" Yami looked murderous as his reaches for his Deck and removed his cards from their holster at his side. He began expertly shuffling his cards with a practiced hand. Yugi knew he didn't have much time left to calm his darker half down. "Yami! This isn't what Mahaad would have wanted! He talked you out of doing this very thing awhile ago! Would you have one of the last pieces of advice he gave you been for nothing?" Yugi looked at Yami with a sincere expression. Yami studied his partner's face and saw the truth to his words.

The Pharaoh slowly lowered his hand, the glow fading and Shadows dissipating.

Inexplicably, the Pharaoh retreated to his soul .room, unable to face the world any longer. Yugi could see the mental image of the broken Pharaoh sitting against the wall of his soul room wrapped in grief, the tears leaking out of his amethyst eyes, and running down his cheeks. The anger that had consumed him moments before was gone. He had been using that anger to mask his grief.

It was the fear for their own survival that drove the rest of them on. Ishizu had silent tears running down her cheeks, as well. She had just found Mahaad and now she lost him, like Isis had before her. The tempting voice of chaos was even more pronounced than before, taking advantage of their grief. Why should any of them keep fighting? They would all end up in the Sea of Chaos eventually. It was all futile.

Yugi soldiered on, despite these troubling thoughts. He knew Mahaad would want them to continue. Setne shrugged his shoulders. He did glance back periodically and count them all with a shocked expression. As if he was surprised any of them were still alive. He really did expect them to die. Yugi saw in his mind's eye the familiar image etched onto the Narmer Stela. Narner, the mighty warrior pharaoh, held the forces of chaos, represented by a bound captive at his feet, smiting him with a mace. He didn't have Yami to rely on at the moment. He would have to assume the role of Pharaoh for himself. Yugi found his gaze drawn to the gleaming white obelisk. He didn't know if it was actually the mound of creation, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that it stood for ma'at.

Mahaad had stood for ma'at.

He felt a lump well up in his throat and his vision blurred with unshed tears, that were threatening to spill over. He batted at them with the back of his hand. But to no avail. He cried silently for the friend he had just lost. He could hear Yami's sobs through the mind link, and could easily picture the sobs that wracked his darker half's body.

Ishizu glanced at Ryou. He was handling things pretty well. He was just staring at the ground at his feet, carefully picking his way across the dangerous terrain. Ishizu looked at the others in their party. Carter and Zia were saddened by Mahaad's death, but they didn't feel it as deeply as the others did. Carter and Zia held hands and tried to focus on not falling into the sea themselves. Zia had a determined expression as she led the way pulling Carter along behind her. He looked slightly embarrassed by this, but didn't do anything to change it.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the base of the jetty. The ground felt more solid than anything else in they had encountered thus far in the Land of Demons. But the almost irresistible voice of chaos had reached its apex as well. Even though the strip of land was ten feet wide, it might as well have been mere inches. Yugi resisted the urge to close his eyes. He fought the panic building up inside of him. He didn't want to worry Yami at the moment. He would deal with this on his own. Pure adrenaline coursed through his veins. He fought to keep himself balanced as he made his way toward the gleaming white obelisk. The sea itself smelled like car exhaust, and the rotting stench of death. He resisted the urge to gag, but covered his nose with the sleeve of his jacket, finding that place that was least covered in red dust. "We're almost there," Stene said, trying to remain oblivious of the fact that things were getting harder for him too. His form flickered in the wind, everyone else's demon disguises vanished in and out of sight too. The magic that held the forms together was about to fail. Ishizu was on guard and nervous. If their demon disguises failed now, that would spell almost certain death for them. She felt her stomach tighten, and she tried to calm herself down. But it didn't work that well. She was exhausted as Yugi looked.

Yugi looked up and saw her eyeing him. He smiled weakly at her, before looking at the ground again. The smile had been forced, but it was the best Yugi could give at the moment. He could barely put one foot in front of the other, and follow behind Zia and Carter. Ishizu placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She had half expected Yugi to shrug it off, but he didn't. Instead, he reached up and touched it briefly before dropping his hand to his side again.

At long last the group reached the island where the obelisk rested. Now that they were up closer, Zia observed that the surface of the obelisk had been covered in spells to sustain ma'at as well as the names of gods. Every time a gust of wind threatened to sweep them off into the sea, a yellow magical barrier protected them, emanating from Zia. The group stopped at the base of the obelisk.

"What now?" Zia asked.

Setne rolled his eyes. "Try reading the spell. We don't have all day!" Setne snapped coldly at them. A bit chagrined, Zia mutely handed Carter the scroll. Carter scanned the lines in front of him. He squinted, and then shook his head. He could read some things but the mass of text overwhelmed him. He felt his face flush with embarrassment. He wasn't good at reciting incantations even when be wasn't in Apophis' home territory. "I-I can't read it," Carter confessed, handing Zia the scroll back. Zia accepted it and scanned the hieroglyphs for the lines she wanted. When she found the proper lines she looked up and narrowed her eyes and glared at Setne. "You lied! This is just a simple summoning spell! How could you lie while holding the Feather of Truth!"

Everyone stared at the him, waiting for an explanation. "I didn't lie!" Setne contested. "A simple summoning spell is complicated for me! I can't cast a summoning spell since, I'm a ghost, and I don't have a body."

But his expression turned smug, and he put his hands behind his back, trying to project a confident air. "But you did need my help to both find the Book of Thoth and interpret it. I didn't know that accursed thief stole it, so I didn't burn up, because I still believed the scroll was where I left it. You needed my help to interpret the map, otherwise you'd still be stranded on the beach, with your broken ship. Or even worse you hero types would have attempted to cross without consulting the map and got killed."

Yugi sighed heavily. "That's true," he acknowledged.

"Now just force the shadow to appear, so you can capture it," Stene instructed. Zia looked nervously at Carter. They locked eyes and a message passed between them. They didn't trust Setne, but what choice did they have? The last thing any of them wanted to do was summon the shadow of the giant Serpent in his home territory. Summoning it would also alert every demon to their presence and Yugi really didn't like their odds of survival. Sure, they had got out of tougher situations before, but that didn't make this any easier.

Zia didn't even have to read from the scroll. The summoning spell was one of first spells Zia had learned upon arriving in the First Nome. It was the same spell use to summon staves, cleaning supplies and shabti.

When Zia completed the spell, a massive tremor shook the ground, the epicenter was the Sea of Chaos itself. It rumbled across the hill they'd come across and throughout the Land of Demons.

"What just happened?" Yugi asked, not bothering to hide how tired he felt. "If you can't already tell, I'm guessing the shadow didn't like bring summoned and just called on the forces of chaos to it's aid," Setne replied. Stene had returned to his normal self. He was trying very hard to ignore the close call he had had with the Shadow Realm.

"Well where is the shadow?" Zia asked. Yugi looked hard at the obelisk and noticed that the shadow cast by the obelisk itself was writhing across the surface of the grayish water. The shadow coalesced into a large snake that lashed out threateningly, striking the empty air in front of it. Yugi felt the waves of chaos coming off the shadow, and each wave brought despair and hopelessness. Did they really think they could capture something so massive and full of disorder? Yugi's hand automatically touched the Millennium Puzzle, and it glowed at his touch, the metal cold against his skin. He hardened his resolve. They had got out of other hopeless situations and saved the world many times. Yugi furrowed his brows in concentration. He was the King of Games, what was he missing. He studied the shadow in front of them. "Look!" Yugi pointed to the tail of the serpent that seemed to have been impaled by the obelisk, restraining the shadow.

Chaos was so powerful it was easy to sense it's thoughts. Apophis despised order, order restricted his movement. Chaos wanted to be free and do as it pleased, but order kept it at bay. Chaos hated order. Apophis' only desire was do destroy the blinding white obelisk and all it stood for.

"What now?" Carter demanded. Setne laughed evilly. "Good job! I can take over now. Taz!" Everyone gasped in surprise as white mummy bandages encased them, wrapping them tightly in linen from head to toe. Yugi fell over and narrowly avoided hitting his head on rock.

Setne strutted over to Zia and extracted the Book of Thoth from her bindings. He tucked it safely under his arm. Zia screamed, but it was muffled by the linen covering her mouth.

"Oh Carter, Carter," he shook his head as if he were scolding a small child. "You are great and all, but you are way too naive! After I almost killed you on the boat, you let me cast a glamor spell on you! Changing it to a binding spell is really easy." Carter and Zia's shouts were muffled by the wrappings. Yugi was just stared at the ghost.

"What?" Setne asked leaning closer to his bound captives. "I didn't catch that. Look, I have nothing against any of you. I couldn't cast the invocation spell myself. So I need someone else to do it for me! I never thought all of you would survive this far, I fully admit that. There is no harm in telling you that. Since none of you will survive this. I always knew Mahaad was weak! That's why the spineless git ended up in the sea." Yugi thrashed about angrily in his cocoon.

"I'm just going to change the original plan a bit. I'll still cast the binding spell and trap the shadow. I can actually do that part! But the fun part is that instead of execrating Apophis, I'll blackmail him. He'll destroy only what I tell him to. Then he'll retreat to his nice little cage here or he'll get destroyed permanently and go bye-bye!"

Even though only Yugi's eyes were visible he looked both shocked and livid at the same time.

"If you could talk I'm sure you'd tell me how crazy I am. Well here is some news for you pals. I have gotten away with everything for thousands of years! I will admit the Pharaoh-" he didn't air quotes around Yami's title. "-actually did intimidate me for a bit. But your pathetic host wouldn't let him fight me. Well now it is too late! You heard my list of crimes in the Hall of Two Truths! Apophis can eat Ra and kill the other gods. I don't care. They have been cramping my style for millennia! The House of Life can go too, can't have anyone coming after me, now can I? Apophis can wipe Egypt off the map for all I care. He will destroy the very memory of my cursed father Ramses! But I'll leave most of the mortal world intact, I have to have somewhere to rule, right? I'll make myself as pharaoh and reestablish the cult of the living pharaoh!"

Carter struggled harder against his bonds and almost fell into the sea. Zia glared at Stene and her wrappings started smoking but then the smoke disappeared and she slumped against the ground. "Hang on. I'll be back for you after everything is over. Maybe I'l keep you as my slaves or something. You guys are hilarious! But I'm afraid we're done. No one is going to show up and save you."

A patch of darkness opened up above the ghost's head and Sadie dropped out of it. Setne went flying and landed on his back, eyes blazing with anger. Sadie dropped to the ground in a near crouch. She saw Yugi, Carter, Zia, Ishizu and Ryou wrapped up like mummies and quickly put two and two together. She noticed Mahaad's absence but decided to comment on that later. She stretched out her hand toward Setne. "Taz!"" She yelled and Setne screamed in frustration as he was bound for the second time that day. Sadie looked worse for wear, her face was red like she had been crying and she was covered in mud and leaves. Carter's eyes widened as he noted that she was alone, Walt wasn't with her. His blood chilled.

Sadie planted her feet on the earth and braced herself for what she had to do. "Hi guys," she greeted, her voice wavering a bit. "Do you need some assistance?" Sadie figured out how to get rid of the glamor. Sadie scanned the broken landscape around them. "Where is Mahaad?" She asked, settling her gaze on Yugi. The shorter teen swallowed nervously and found that his throat had gone dry. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He just shook his head sadly. Sadie frowned. "He didn't fall in, did he?" She asked. Yugi nodded solemnly. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes brimmed with tears again. "That's terrible," she said bitterly. She wiped her tears with that back of her hand, which she then wiped in her pants. It was then that Sadie noticed the crook and flail in Yugi's left hand. He hadn't even been aware he was still holding them. "How did you get those? I thought Carter had them." Yugi looked down at the dual symbols of kingship in his hands. "Carter gave them to me because I am Pharaoh." Yugi realized that was the first time he had publicly declared himself to be Pharaoh. It felt right, even as it sent a chill down his spine. Together light and dark were complete.

"Who are you two?" She asked indicating Ishizu and Ryou. "We are friends of Yugi's. We met at a Duel Monster's tournament," Ryou explained. Ishizu nodded, sniffling quietly, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. Zia and Sadie quickly swapped stories about their adventures since they had last seen each other. Sadie glanced at Zia's necklace and smacked her forehead with her palm. "Oh! I really am stupid. Zia is hoisting Ra. I get why Tawaret was giving you strange looks."

"Where is Walt?" Zia pressed. Sadie's eyes filled with pain and the other girl regretted asking. Zia's face fell in contrition. Sadie took a deep breath before replying. "Walt is...gone." Carter's head snapped up and he touched her lightly on the shoulder. "I am sorry. Are you alright?" He asked tenderly. The fire came back in her eyes and she shoved his hand away. "I'm fine!" She snapped. "We have to keep moving forward. I can capture the shadow, just give me the figurine," she held out her hand expectantly toward Zia. Zia looked down at the red figurine and repressed a shudder. Her old mentor Ischandar could have severely punished her for possessing such a dangerous weapon. She was glad things were different now.

Inexplicably, Setne's bands unwound and fell to the ground. No one had been focused on him, since Sadie's arrival. He vanished and maniacal laughter filled the air. Yugi whirled and it took him a moment to process what he was seeing. Instead of the arrogant black haired, bejeweled ghost there stood a man with white hair with intricate red and gold armor, and an all too familiar teal green staff.

Ahmed.

Yugi narrowed his eyes. Yami had told him of his encounter with Mahaad's foe when they rescued Mana. "Where is Setne?" Yugi demanded hoping the red Dark Magician didn't hear the strain in his voice. The red Dark Magician laughed evilly again. "You, Yugi, of everyone here should understand how he got free." The red magician held up a Duel Monster's card with the back toward the short duelist. "Recognize this?" He taunted, revealing the face of the card.

Soul Exchange.

Yugi's mouth dropped open in horror, and he reeled backwards as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

/How-?!/

The Spirit stirred within the Puzzle. /What is going on Yugi?!/ Yami looked through Yugi's eyes and was shocked to the core as well. /That explains where Setne went. They changed places. They must have used a spell and released Setne with Soul Exchange. We have to deal with him now./ Yugi had already figured this out but let the spirit voice his thoughts.

Yugi felt another headache coming on. /How could he have done that without a Millennium Item?/

/We are in the Land of Demons, Shadow magic in much stronger here. You don't need at Item to do magic, just to summon monsters and the Realm itself./

Ahmed turned to face the rest of them. He raised his staff and leveled it threateningly at them. "This is the end!" He laughed again. Ahmed summoned Dark Necrofear and Headless Knight to aid him. "Attack!" He ordered the new monsters and joined the fray himself. Ahmed flew toward Yugi and his staff cackled with power. "Where is your precious Dark Magician now?" He sneered at Yugi. The Puzzle glowed with power and Yugi threw up a shield to counter the incoming attack. The shield held but Yugi slid back several feet. Dark Necrofear busied himself with Carter, while the Headless Knight moved to deal with Sadie. Yugi's hand instinctively went to his Deck and he withdrew it.

While Yugi scanned his hand for options, Carter and Sadie went on the offensive.

Dark Necrofear advanced toward Carter. Carter reached for his sword and pulled it out of the Duat. He summoned his hawk headed avatar, and soon found himself encased in a towering translucent glowing blue hawk. He grinned. It had been far too long since he had used such power. He slashed with his sword and the avatar mimicked his movements slower than he had. His avatar cut through the monster who screamed disintegrated into a thousand pixels which were carried by the wind into the sea. Carter blinked in confusion. He had expected that to be harder.

Sadie quickly dodged the sword strike that the Headless Knight aimed at her. She narrowed her eyes in anger. She swung her staff forward and sent a weak column of fire at the soldier, who swatted the sputtering flames away. Sadie yelled and threw her staff and chanting a spell. He staff emitted a flash of light that turned the Knight into a dove. The newly minted bird looked around in confusion, before walking around in a circle and falling over.

The red Dark Magician didn't waste time, and hurled a Dark Magic Attack at Yugi. Yugi threw himself to the ground to avoid the incoming attack. Ahmed laughed. Yugi shivered from his position on the ground. A laugh like that wasn't natural. Yugi scrambled to his feet, and summoned the first monster in his hand, his Silver Fang. Ahmed took sick pleasure in destroying the creature. He used a spell of his own and killed Yugi's beast with Thousand Knives. Yugi shielded his eyes from the blast, and growled in frustration. "You are going to have to do better than that!"

Yugi spied Sadie's fallen staff and ran toward it. He scooped it off the ground and pointed it toward the red Dark Magician. "I doubt you even know how to use that," Ahmed taunted. He could intuitively feel some resistance from the weapon itself, since it wasn't his. Even though he had only held a staff during the table top duel, with Bakura. Yugi had wielded the power of the Dark Magician before. Ahmed didn't know that of course, and Yugi would use that to his advantage. "Taz!" The binding spell took hold for a moment before vanishing. Yugi's eyes widened in shock. For his benefit Ahmed held up two despell keys, now useless and tossed them away.

Ahmed went on the offensive. "Spellbinding Circle!" Yugi inhaled sharply as a familiar ring of purple light encased him. He felt his strength leaving him and swayed dangerously on his feet. Cutting his limited strength in half was almost too much. Yugi clenched his jaw in defiance. Yugi stared Ahmed down, watching as the red Dark Magician charged his staff for his final attack.

Then a new voice rang out, "Chaos Scepter Blast!"

Yugi turned to see the Magician of Black Chaos brandishing his staff at Ahmed. The red Dark Magician barely dodged the attack and focused his attention on the newcomer. "Stay out of this!" He demanded. "When you threaten him, you threaten me," the magician replied. Ahmed launched a barrage of attacks at the Magician of Black Chaos. The leatherclad Mage took to the air and weaved in and out of attacks. Ahmed tried to use Thousand Knives again and this time Mahaad used Magical Cylinder to redirect the attack back. Ahmed raised a hand and the knives turned to dust. The Magician of Black Chaos went on the offensive quickly. He flew headfirst at Ahmed and launched a powerful Chaos Scepter Blast at him. This time his attack found its target. Ahmed had tried to throw up a weak shield as a last resort but it shattered around him. Ahmed screamed as he was sent to the graveyard. Since its caster had died, the spellbinding circle disappeared around Yugi, and the teen dropped to the ground.

Yugi quickly released control to his darker half and Yami ran to the magician not believing his eyes. "Mahaad!" Yami cried. Mahaad gave his king a crooked smile before elegantly sinking in to a low bow. Yami impatiently hoisted his friend to his feet. Yami broke decorum and hugged Mahaad tightly. Mahaad returned the hug with equal vigor. After several seconds, the king released him, his amethyst eyes searching his friend's face.

"How-?!" The Pharaoh sputtered at a loss for words. Mahaad cupped his chin in thought. "As I was falling into the Sea of Chaos, it was a familiar feeling that overcame me. As much as it pains me to admit it, I have an aspect of myself that is chaos. I called on that power and cast the Dedication of Light and Darkness," Mahaad explained. "You scared us," Yami reprimanded sharply, leveling the priest with a glare. Mahaad hung his head. He had also noticed the Pharaoh's signs of mourning, which filled him with guilt. "Forgive me," he begged. "It's alright," Yami replied. "However, if you even scare me like that again. I will ensure you suffer for all eternity. In a flash the anger was gone and replaced by amusement. Yam then smirked, before stepping aside to let Ishizu see him.

Ishizu's cheeks were wet, and her black hair caked with red dust. She too ran to him and flung her arms around his neck sobbing. Mahaad stumbled with the unexpected weight, but regained his balance quickly. He stroked her hair as she cried in his shoulder. Mahaad rested his head on top of hers. "I thought you were..." She couldn't bring herself to finish. "Shhh. It's alright. I'm fine now," he soothed softly. He stroked her back until she stilled and her sobs lessened. Ishizu looked up into Mahaad's eyes. Mahaad smiled down at her. Mahaad leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Her body tensed in surprise before she relaxed, closing her eyes. He pulled back quickly and blushed, surprised at his own imprudence. She smiled and leaned upward inviting him to kiss her again. He leaned down and kissed her and she groaned in pleasure and kissed him back, deepening the kiss. After several seconds she pulled back. Both were breathing heavily. Yami folded his arms, clearing his throat, smirking again. Mahaad's blushed deepened. His pharaoh just chuckled lightly.

Sadie's eyes gained Yugi's all to familiar glazed over look when he was thinking about something else. Sadie ran her finger over the glyphs that made up Apophis' name and those of the binding spell. Sadie took the figurine and with great solemnity knelt at the base of the obelisk, where it met the shadow.

Carter watched her for as long as he dared. "Sadie?" He asked. She froze. Carter tried to control his emotions, but the torture was evident in his face. He just knew she would mess up and get burned up. He couldn't shake the fact that history was going to repeat itself. Sadie was going to die trying to restrain Apophis just like their parents. Zia grabbed Carter's hand. "She can do this," Zia reassured him wth a weak smile.

"Listen to your girlfriend Carter," Sadie chided. She pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "Can I begin?" She asked rolling her eyes. But there was fear in her eyes.

Carter held his breath as Sadie began the spell. Carter easily imagined her getting sucked into the statute itself or burning up. Instead, the serpent's shadow thrashed about madly, trying to resist the pull on it, as Sadie continued chanting. The shadow lashed about snapping at empty air, hoping to free itself but to no avail. As the small figurine in her hands absorbed the shadow, it changed from red to the blackest of black. Sadie finished the spell with a simple, "hi-nehm." A long hiss escaped from the serpent's mouth before it was completely absorbed in the figurine. As soon as it was contained, Ishizu noticed that the powerful pull of chaos was muted now and that the sea had turned less red.

"How did you learn that spell?" Carter asked. A look of pain flashed across her face. Carter realized too late that she had obviously seen Walter preform it before whatever happened to him.

"The execration will be easy. We just have to be facing Apophis, otherwise it's the same incantation we've been practicing." The Magician of Black Chaos raised an eyebrow, before voicing his question. "Have you ever preformed an execration?" He asked in what Mana had termed his teacher voice, folding his arms.

Everyone turned to look at him. The siblings shook their heads. "You know that in Egypt execrations were preformed every day in the temple of Karnak. I was there. The gods have propagated the notion that execrations are forbidden magic. This is because there are untrusting of mortal magicians who have abused their power," Mahaad stated.

"We can discuss this later. We need to focus on getting out of here," Yami said, giving Mahaad a pointed look.

"Where is the Book of Thoth?" Ryou asked, his doe like brown eyes sweeping the ground.

"There!" Ishizu pointed to the place where Setne had been tied up. Sadie quickly trotted over and scooped up the scroll. Sadie strode confidently back the way they had come, although she tried hard to ignore her gut that told her danger had lay ahead of them. Yami's shoulders slumped in exhaustion. /Aibou-/ the spirit didn't even have to finish his sentence before Yugi picked up on his taxed emotions and took over. Yami sent a mental image of a hug through their bond as the pharaoh retreated to the sanctuary of his soul room. Mahaad's gaze turned to Yugi and the teen could read the question in his expression. "He's alright, just tired." Mahaad nodded but didn't say anything.

The Magician of Black Chaos still unnerved Yugi slightly. The magician bore all of Mahaad's mannerisms and expressions, but it still felt strange to see these on the Magician of Black Chaos, who looked so physically different from the Dark Magician. Ishizu kept a close eye on Ryou, who was still wearing some bandages, since she had used the last of her salve earlier. He saw her looking at him and smiled weakly, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes.

The group made their way off the jetty and contrary to what some might assume, it was harder walking away form chaos than it had been moving toward it. It took what seemed like forever before they retraced their steps and reached the beach. Ishizu's spirits lifted, they were so close.

That hope turned to dread as the looked down at the scene below them. Carter turned pale and uttered some colorful words that caused Mahaad to glare menacingly at him. Mahaad opened his mouth and then closed it again. He didn't want to disturb his king's rest.

Mahaad's gaze quickly took in the scene below them. Hundreds if not thousands of demons were marching towards them, and what made him grimace was the sight of Bakura's Headless Knight near the front of the pack, his head tucked under one arm. Carter looked exasperated as he looked out at their seemingly impossible task.

"All we want to do is uphold ma'at, and save the world, is that too much to ask?" Carter demanded. The demon army was several hundred feet away and closing the distance fast. There were hundreds of them and more were joining every few seconds. Carter turned to his sister with sense of urgency. "Can you make us a portal out of here?" Sadie closed her eyes and then shook her head. "No, Isis isn't responding. We're too close to chaos."

Carter spun around and turned to Zia. "How is your connection with Khepri?" Zia shook her head too. "I've used up too much magic, just shielding us from the effects of chaos." Carter sighed. "Can we cast the execration now?"

Mahaad, Zia and Sadie all spoke in unison, "No." Carter bit his lip. They had come so far and all that stood in their way was an army of demons. "We will fight our way out of this," Yugi said, drawing himself up to his full height, with a determined gleam in his eye. He held the symbols of kingship in his hands, the shepherd's crook and the war flail.

Carter, Zia and Sadie readied their wands. Mahaad spin his staff in perpetration for battle.

Author's Notes:  
Sorry for the long delay in updates, I had a lot of family stuff going on. I should hopefully have the next chapter within the next several weeks. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

I don't own Kane Chronicles or Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 17: The Sun Boat

The advance of the demons was interrupted when they began turning on attackers from the rear. Fireballs and explosions lit the sky. "What is going on?" Saide asked. "Who are they fighting?" Ishizu pointed at some of the more visible figures in the crowd. Carter saw it, and couldn't help but feel relieved.

"It's the gods from the old folks' home!" Sadie cried happily. Mahaad shot her an exasperated look, which she promptly ignored. A group of combatants made their way slowly through the last rows of demons. They were even doing a good job of holding their ranks. Sadie started waving enthusiastically at them.

Mahaad spotted one particular god among the throng that caught his attention. The feline headed god wielded a red knife and wore an elaborately decorated kilt. Mahaad gasped out loud and threw himself at the god's feet when the god got nearer. Yugi noted the hint of a smile that passed across the god's face.

"Lord Mahaaes!"

"Mahaad," the god returned and hoisted Mahaad to his feet more forcefully than usual. "I appreciate your devotion, Mahaad. But we are on the middle of a battle. You can pay your respects later. Your master needs you," Mahaaes admonished. Mahaad inclined his head briefly. "Yes, Lord Mahaaes," he replied.

"These must be the reinforcements Anubis said he was sending!" Sadie said.

Mahaad took up a defensive position in front of his king and brandished his staff at some demons. Reinforcements or not, he wasn't going to risk his king's safely. He fired a dark magic attack at a demon who got too close, incinerating the knife-headed demon on the spot. Carter and Sadie fired spells at some demons as well. Sadie turned one of them into a pelican. Carter's spell had stuck two demons together. Just as Mahaad was about to get in his fighting rhythm, the course of the battle changed.

The front ranks of the gods parted and a black limo pulled up alongside them. Yugi jumped back to avoid getting hit. Carter and Sadie exchanged triumphant glances. They had obviously seen the limo before. The driver got out and Mahaad recoiled slightly in shock. The driver was a very short very ugly dwarf. The only clothing he wore was a blue speedo. Mahaad gawked at him. The dwarf god's mouth opened wide and his hair stuck out like he'd just been electrocuted. "BOO!" The demons unfortunate enough to be near him got disintegrated by the blast of pure ugly.

"Bes!" Sadie cried and ran up to him. Bes hopped down to the ground and gave her a hug.

"Master!"

Mahaad whirled around. He must be dreaming, be thought to himself. "Master!" Another group was approaching the gods from the old folks home. In the front were two very familiar figures. There was a blue and pink blur as it shot toward Mahaad and hug tackled him. The girl who attached herself to him was wearing pink and blue armor, and clutched a wand in her left hand. "Mana!" Mahaad cried in surprise, as she squeezed him. Yugi chuckled. Mana turned and saw Yugi who had been obscured from view by Mahaad. "Yugi!" She let go of Mahaad and hugged Yugi who almost lost his balance. "Hi Mana," Yugi greeted.

Meanwhile Bes gave a hug to Carter. He tried to give one to Zia but she refused. "Let's get you out of here!" Bes declared. He shimmered for a moment before he was wearing his chauffeur's uniform. "Get in!" He ordered. Carter, Sadie and Zia didn't need to be told twice. Ishizu helped Ryou climb in. Mahaad indicated Yugi should precede him. Yugi turned and looked at Mahaaes uncertainly. The God rested his blade against his shoulder. The feline god smiled and got in before Yugi. Mahaad got in last. He was tense. He'd rarely been in a car let alone with his patron god.

"Setne has the book of Thoth. Can you cast the execration without it?" Zia asked looking at the Kane siblings. Carter nodded. "We've been practicing it for months."

Bes' limo was just as dirty as it had been the previous spring, Sadie would tell them later. There were fast food containers, chewed on bottles of water, and CDs. Sadie had claimed shotgun, everyone else climbed in back. Bes shifted into drive and revved the engine and started bowling over demons. Sadie quickly made a game of it. Yugi naturally joined in soon after. While Yugi and Sadie placed bets, Carter shouted random pieces of advice at Bes, trying to keep them from crashing. Ryou was recovering better than Ishizu expected and was sitting up staring out the window. The tomb keeper was sitting politely with her hands folded in her lap, as if she were oblivious to the disorder around her. Mahaad was seated stiffly next to her. He stared straight ahead, with his hands clenched in fists on his lap, his back was ram rod straight. Mahaaes sat next to him and was regal yet relaxed. He started chatting with Bes.

As the limo barreled along, Mahaad watched the destruction through the window. Mana had joined in the bets with Yugi and Sadie, and laughed like mad with them. Mahaad smiled, it had been awhile since his apprentice had laughed like that.

Mahaad saw many familiar monsters from Master's deck battling alongside the gods. Karim led the charge and was clashing blades with a knife headed demon, as the limo passed. It made Mahaad happy but he was also hit with a twinge of guilt, he should be out there on the front lines helping.

The goddess of childbirth was a pretty skilled fighter even though she was very pregnant and wearing high heels. She wielded a syringe better than interjection fairy lily. She injected one demon in the arm on his downswing and he fell over, passed out cold.

Hot Foot and Fire Eater threw fireballs into the sky and set flying demons ablaze. One of them kept screaming something but Mahaad couldn't make out what it was, probably a word of power.

"Sweet Meeit ," Mahaaes said, causing Mahaad to jump. Mahaad looked at the cat goddess who was also screaming something as she batted demons with her walker. "Yes," Mahaad replied awkwardly.

"Lord Bes should we help them?" Mahaad asked, hoping no one could sense the feeling of guilt he felt in pit of his stomach. Bes laughed, and he mowed over a razor headed demon. "No, kid," Mahaad bristled slightly at that. It had been forever since anyone had called him that. This is the most fun the gods have had in millennia. This fight has given them purpose again! They are going to continue to fight while I get you kids out of here!" Bes said cheerily. "How are we going to do that considering the Egyptian Queen sank?" Sadie asked. Bes ignored her and she looked a little miffed until he slowed the Mercedes and rolled down the driver's side window. "Hey, are is everything alright here?" Bes asked Tawaret. She turned and batted her eyes at him, and smiled. "Yeah, honey. Good luck!" she replied. Bes smiled and blew her a kiss. Tawaret blushed and acted like a giddy teenage girl not the goddess of childbirth. Ishizu stared at them. Her charge Ryou was looking less pale and looked out the window at the battle raging around them.

Bes rolled up the window and sped off. He hit several demons in a row, just to show off. He drove for a few more minutes before clearing the last flaming chasm that separated then from the beach. Carter pointed to the few boards on the beach, the last remnants of the Egyptian Queen. "How are we going to leave?" He asked pragmatically. "What's that?" Bes retorted playfully. Light illuminated the darkness to their left and a boat slid into view. Mahaad started and almost backed into Lord Maahes. Zia inhaled sharply. "Ra is going to give us a lift?" Ryou asked. As the boat approached the shore Yugi could make out the gold and white sails, and the crew of light orbs. He wondered if they had transferred from the Egyptian Queen to the solar barque. The most prominent feature was the throne of fire underneath the canopy, where Ra slouched. The crocodile headed Sobek stood proudly at the prow, leisurely spearing random demons that got too close.

"Helloooooo! We have coooookies!" Ra yelled to them. Ishizu and Yugi looked at the Kane siblings for an explanation. Sadie kissed Bes on the cheek. "You are going to make Tawaret jealous," he warned her. "I'm just glad we made it before the sun boat left or we would be out of luck," Zia said. Ryou shuddered.

Ra kept a tight schedule, as he passed through each one of the gates on the river of the night, the gate closed for the remainder of the night, and wouldn't open again until the following night. It has been the same since Ra had started sailing the river millennia ago.

"Are you ready?" Bes asked. Mahaad nodded firmly. "Even though the mortal world might be in peril, we can vanquish our foe no matter how powerful they may be," Mahaad asserted.

The light crew lowered the gangplank, and the gang clambered out of the limo wake onto the solar barque, for what might be the last day on earth.

Sadie finally had time to think after all the intensity of the last hour or so. She had a longing wistful look in her eyes as she gazed on the river. Mahaad hovered near Yugi. Mahaaes glanced over at the duo, before moving to the prow to chat with Sobek.

Sobek looked past his fellow deity and noticed the Kane siblings. "You!" He said sharply. Carter jumped, while Sadie turned and crossed her arms. "So, the Crocodile God wants his teeth kicked in?" She asked. Sobek snarled and bared his teeth, snapping his jaws. Supposedly Sobek had only joined their side to fight Apophis because Isis and Horus had threatened him with extreme bodily harm, if he refused.

Sobek started chatting with Mahaaes and Sadie lost interest. The servant lights seemed to like Sadie because they kept hovering around her.

"Is that really Ra?" Yugi whispered to Mahaad. Mahaad looked at the throne of fire and nodded. He was just as shocked as his master. The god who sat in his throne, was slumped over and drooling. Ra grinned toothlessly at them. "I thought Lord Ra would be a bit more lively." Yugi admitted. Despite himself Mahaad nodded in agreement. For as long as Mahaad could remember, he had always been told stories of Ra's nightly conquests. Lord Ra was supposed to be stronger than the Pharaoh himself. It was he that allowed Shekmet to almost destroy the world. Mahaad just stared at the practically toothless deity in front of him, gnawing on the side of his throne.

Sadie tried to catch Ra's eye, and to her surprise it actually worked. He appeared to focus on her. Ra sat up and held out a plate of cookies to them. "Cookie?" He asked them. Mahabad and Yami stared at each other. Carter was the first to react. "Sure," he stated a bit hesitantly. He took a macaroon, while Sadie opted for some chocolate. Mahaaad didn't know what either of them were, but he took a chocolate cookie and ate it.

Ra then scooted himself off his throne, and avoided Bes who tried to help him. Ra's face lit up when he spotted Zia. "Zia! Zia! Zia!" He cooed happily. "That's the first time I've heard him, use her actual name," Carter said in awe. Ishizu's eyes widened in surprise. "Lord Ra, used to be worse than this?" Ryou asked, his British accent coming through. Ra tottered forward toward Zia, reaching for her amulet. She touched a hand to it and backed away from the sun god nervously. She looked at Carter and the others for reassurance. "He won't harm you," the confident voice of the Pharaoh calmed her nerves a bit. She unclasped the amulet and carefully dropped it into his waiting hand.

Ra then walked over to Yami and looked up at him expectantly. Mahaaad got his first up close look at the sun god. He was bald and had very translucent wrinkly skin. His eyes were blue and scanned the faces around him. He wore a finely embroidered kilt and golden sandals. Yami looked down at the god, at a loss for why he was staring at him. /Any ideas?/

/Maybe. Let me take over./ Yami wordlessly handed control over to his host, who reached into his Deck holster and grabbed his Deck and began shuffling through the cards. He paused at one and selected it and replaced the rest of his cards in his holster. Ra looked anxious now, and reached up to Yugi with his free hand. Yugi had a determined glint in his eyes, and held the card aloft.

"I summon the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The card glowed white with power and a giant orb of light appeared behind the spiky haired duelist. Ra clapped his hands in delight.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring my victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first I shall call out thy name, Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The ball of light transformed into a bright shining dragon.

The dragon roared.

Author's Notes:

Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I hope you liked. I promise there is more action to come, as this story draws to a close. Please review and let me know what you think! 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Sun God's Return The Sun God's Return

A bright light emanating from the Winged Dragon of Ra engulfed Lord Ra, Zia, and eventually the dragon itself. Lord Ra began to crumble, Mahaad stared in shock his mouth agape in awe, as the god began to crumble in front of him. His ears fell off and crumbled to dust, and slowly he started turning into sand. "What is happening?!" Sadie demanded, panic lacing her voice. Yugi narrowed his eyes critically, thinking hard.

Bes grunted in surprise. "This is happening faster than usual, he noted.

Sadie looked at him on shock. "This has happened before?!" She looked completely bewildered as she shook her head.

Bes chuckled at her expression. "Yes, many times. All the gods took their turns guarding the solar barque in the ancient days. The transformation is almost complete. Look," he pointed at Zia.

Carter had been so focused at what had happened to Lord Ra that he hadn't been paying attention to Zia. As the light focused more on Zia, the Dragon turned into a steak of light and shot at Zia, who welcomed it with open arms. She absorbed the energy and Carter noticed the scarab was gone.

Zia flashed Carter a smile. She looked immensely pleased. When she spoke her voice was rich and deep echoing through the _Duat_. "I see, it is all about balance," she laughed in delight. "I am reborn at last! Carter and Sadie you were right to help me in my quest for rebirth. I am reborn through Zia's compassion. I've forgotten what is like to be young and powerful."

At this Mahaad overcame his initial shock and threw himself to the floor in full prostration. Yugi quickly knelt beside Mahaad as well.

Carter stepped back a little repulsed by Zia addressing herself in third person and speaking like a man. Sadie lowered her vision in the _Duat_ and she saw the image of Lord Ra in Egyptian armor and kilt superimposed on top of Zia in her cream colored robes. He was still old and bald but he was muscular now.

Bes knelt, " My Lord Ra," he greeted. Mahaaes knelt on the other side of Mahaad, while Sobek snapped to attention at the bow. "Ah my little friend. Rise it is good to see you," Ra ruffled Bes' hair. The dwarf god rose. "I knew you would return Lord Ra," Sobek said. "You would eat me for dinner if you thought you could get away with it. Have Horus and Isis been keeping you in line?" Ra asked him. "Yes, my king," he replied uneasily, as he shifted his weight between his feet.

Ra turned to Mahaaes. "Mahaaes, rise my friend. It has certainly been awhile." He waited while the god of war stood.

Ra looked down at Mahaad and Yugi. "And I see your charge Mahaad is here, excellent. We will need his help."

Ra turned to face Yugi. "Now, this is the boy that bears the spirit of the Pharaoh. Rise young prince." Yugi shakily got it his feet.

"You may rise as well priest," Ra said addressing Mahaad. The magician rose and kept his gaze on the ground at his feet. If Yami ever made him feel uncomfortable, Ra was much worse.

"Are we approaching sunrise?" Ra asked. Sobek pointed to the horizon with his long spear. "Yes, my king," he replied. There was light at the end of the tunnel that led out of the _Duat_. The exit gates were flanked by full sized statues of Ra. The river poured out into the mortal world below, turning into mist as it fell. "Guide us to Giza, Lord Sobek," Ra commanded. The crocodile headed god used his long iron spear to push the boat along.

Carter remained rooted to the spot as he stared at the sun god. Ra regarded him warmly. "Carter I know this must be difficult for you. I assure you Zia's feelings toward you haven't changed.

"One request, please don't kiss him..." Sadie said in an undertone.

Mahaad heard and went as white as a sheet. "Sadie!" He reprimanded sharply. Ra turned to face Mahaad who sank to his knees trembling visibly. "I apologize for her behavior," Mahaad said.

"Arise, magician. I am not going to punish her. She was not raised like you were. If you had said that, you would be rightfully punished," Ra elaborated. Mahaad got to his feet.

Ra shimmered and once again Zia stood in front of them. Carter slumped against the mast. Zia furrowed her brow in concern. "Will you take care of him, Sadie. I think he is in shock," she asked. Sadie went and sat by Carter. Sobek and Mahaaes were on the lookout for demons. Mahaad hovered by Yugi.

After Carter and Sadie talked they rejoined the others at in their vigil. Mahaad looked out across his beloved homeland with a grim expression. To the west carried sand storms while for the first time in living memory the Nile was churning like the cataracts. Yugi reached up as high as he could and rested a hand on Mahaad's shoulder. "We will restore order." Mahaad nodded resolutely. "We will conquer not matter how powerful our foe may be," Mahaad intoned.

The three Pyramids of Giza rose to meet them in the sky. Sobek struck his spear against the deck three times and declared. "Lord Ra has returned! Let his worshippers assemble and his people celebrate!" To Carter's surprise a group of about 20 People gathered and fell prostrate before the solar barque.

"It's the Ishtar clan," Yugi whispered and Mahaad nodded. Their robes whipped in the wind as they rose to their feet once the boat had passed. The air was filled with smoke of fires from the city and the place was deserted both the tourists and their wares were nowhere to be found.

"Apophis has chosen the place for his final battle well. There are no mortals to interfere, except the magicians," Mahaaes noted.

Carter lowered his vision to the _Duat_. A giant serpent was coiling around the base of the Great pyramid. Its body consisted of red sand and darkness. His eyes reminded Yugi of Yami when he had been possessed by the Oricalcos. The face of the pyramid shook violently as if it were about to topple over. Everything it touched started to decay. The sand was feeding into the body of the snake itself. Fear chaos and pain were radiating from the serpent like ocean waves spreading fear and panic to the citizens of Cairo. Apophis reared his head and struck the earth with blinding speed, leaving a giant crater in the sand where he had struck. He hissed angrily and reared again preparing to strike.

"Look!" Sadie cried. Everyone including the gods followed her pointing finger to a barely visible figure dressed in what appeared to be a leopard skin leotard. The figure fought with unnatural grace and agility, wielding a pair of knives. She twirled and slashed at the serpent holding him at bay alone. A single goddess fought against the incarnation of chaos itself. Mahaad's stomach churned with unease, he hadn't been this nervous for a fight since Zork. Sadie cried out in anguish. "Where is everyone? Bast is alone!"

To her surprise it was Ra who answered her. "The forces of _ma'at_ are waiting for the Pharaoh to lead them. He is their rallying point," he explained.

"Why aren't you leading them then?!" Carter demanded, cutting into the conversation. Ra stared at Carter with a piecing gaze and he shifted uncomfortably, fearing he may have over stepped his bounds.

"I am no coward," Ra said harshly. "I will fight my old enemy as I always have. Mahaaes, Bes, Sobek, come with me." Sobek said nothing but slapped his spear in salute, while Bes looked happier as he cracked his knuckles, and changed into his Speedo.

"What about us, Lord Ra?" Yugi asked.

"We have the shadow, we can help!" Carter said.

The solar barque descended rapidly and rested to the south of the Great Pyramid.

"Carter, Sadie follow the Pharaoh and help the First Nome!" Ra pointed to the Great Sphinx. Smoke rose from the ground in front of Thutmose stela, between the paws.

"The tunnel was forced open! It had been sealed to prevent mortal archaeologists from getting into the First Nome!" Carter shouted. Ra nodded gravely. "The First Nome is on the brink of collapse. The gods and I will hold off Apophis for as long as we can. If you don't help the Nome, Egypt will fall. All the magicians will die."

"Prince!" Mahaad called sharply. He held out his hand and the air shimmered for a moment before it disappeared and revealed a duel disk. Yugi's face lit up. He grabbed it and slid it on his arm. His eyes filled with determination.

Yugi also summoned the crook and he flail. He extended them to the sun god. "These belong to you," he said solemnly. Lord Ra curled Yugi's fingers around them.

"When I said the gods need their Pharaoh, I meant you, both of you and Yami. I will fight chaos but you will assume the throne and lead Egypt. Unite the magicians and gods in my name and come to my aid."

The Millennium Puzzle flashed and Yami merged with his host. They opened their eyes and wore a look of fierce determination. Atem had been Pharaoh and he would rule again. He was the son of Ra, Horus the Avenger.

They inclined their head. "As you wish, Lord Ra." Their voices blended together in perfect harmony.

Mahaad approached them tentatively and they smiled beckoning him forward. "My king, I know you still harbor doubts about your ability to lead and you hide them well. But I know they are there. You have led armies into battle and brought your subjects out alive. You have won the loyalty of your people. You will be victorious. I know you will bring victory yet again."

They smiled fondly at him. "Thank you."

"You can read us well Mahaad. What you say is true. But we also put our trust in the heart of the cards and you are the embodiment of that trust."

Carter looked nervous. "Good luck..." Mahaad watched with a bemused expression as Carter tried to find the words to say good bye to his girlfriend, turned sun god.

Carter changed form. His backpack and clothes melted into his body as he transformed into a falcon. Yugi/Yami looked at him and cocked their head to the side. Sadie followed her brother's lead and changed into a kite bird.

With a squawk they took off. Mahaad changed back to the familiar garb of the Dark Magician and extended his hand toward the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi/Yami took his hand at they took off after the birds headed for the Great Sphinx. Ishizu summoned a Curse of Dragon and she and Ryou climbed on its back for the journey to the surface. It wasn't very long. In a minute or so they landed next the entrance to the first Nome. There were black scorch marks around the entrance and it looked like someone had used some TNT on it. Huge blocks of stone had been pulverized. Mahaad's jaw tightened, these rebels were destroying his homeland!

Mahaad set Yugi/Yami down and the others soon landed as well. Carter and Sadie returned to human form and surveyed the damage. "That's quite rude. They should have just knocked," Sadie said and gave a shaky laugh. "They overdid it a bit with the _hadi_ spell," Sadie mused. Mahaad nodded gravely. "Where does this tunnel lead?" Mahaad asked.

"It comes out right across from the Hall of Ages," Carter confirmed. Yugi/Yami held out the crook and flail which were glowing. They also activated their duel disk and inserted their deck in the slot. "Let's go!" They lead the way in the darkness. Mahaad have a curt nod and followed at his king's heels. He waved the other 20 or so magicians from the Ishtar clan forward as well. Carter and Sadie readied their staves and followed suit. Ishizu and Ryou both activated duel disks as well and trailed at the back to provide cover from the rear.

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I won't abandon this story, I have been busy with school as well as writing a different fanfic. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait. I know not much happened, but the final battle happens soon. Until next time!


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